Four different Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains relieve loperamide-induced constipation in BALB/c mice by regulation of gut microbiota and metabolites

Constipation is a common intestinal disease and is correlated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Given that current drug treatments can cause side effects, probiotics treatment may be a promising alternative approach. In this study, four strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum which have the ability to alleviate intestinal inflammation were selected, including L. plantarum AHQ-14, HM-22 isolated from Xinjiang dairy products, and L. plantarum Y12, Y44 isolated from turbot intestine in Dalian market. The effects of L. plantarum strains on loperamide-induced constipation in mice were measured and the potential mechanisms were illustrated by constipation and physicochemical indexes, histological morphology, metabolites and microbiota composition analysis. The results of this study suggested that L. plantarum Y44 could somewhat relieve the symptoms in mice with constipation, while it could not relieve constipation by improving gastrointestinal regulatory peptides and 5-HT levels. The study also found that L. plantarum AHQ-14, HM-22 and Y12 significantly increased the fecal water content and improved GI motility, regulated the levels of gastrointestinal regulatory peptides and 5-HT, and increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on fecal in constipated mice. Furthermore, L. plantarum AHQ-14, HM-22 and Y12 significantly altered the microbiota flora of constipated mice by increased the abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria (e.g. Lactobacillus and Alistipes) and decreased potentially pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Erysipelatoclostridium and Helicobacter). These results suggested that L. plantarum AHQ-14, HM-22 and Y12 could effectively relieved constipation in mice by loperamide-induced and have potential application value in constipation treatment.