Qumsani Alaa Talal
Biology Department, Al-Jumum University College, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia.
Biology (Basel). 2025 Mar 22;14(4):323. doi: 10.3390/biology14040323.
The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating health and mitigating diabetes-induced liver injury. This study evaluated the hepatoprotective effects of supplementation, both alone and in combination with metformin, in a rat model of diabetes-induced liver dysfunction. Rats were divided into six groups: control, probiotic only, metformin only, diabetic, diabetic with probiotic supplementation, and diabetic with combined probiotic and metformin treatment. Diabetes was induced using a single streptozotocin (STZ) injection following a 12 h fast. Probiotic supplementation (1 × 10 CFU/kg daily) was initiated 2 weeks before diabetes induction and continued throughout the experiment, while metformin was administered concurrently at a therapeutic dose. Weekly assessments included fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, glycation markers, and liver function tests. Both probiotic and metformin treatments significantly improved glycemic control ( < 0.05) and reduced fasting blood glucose levels ( < 0.01), with the combined therapy demonstrating the most pronounced effects. Additionally, insulin sensitivity was enhanced ( < 0.05), antioxidant enzyme levels were restored ( < 0.01), and histopathological analyses revealed preserved liver architecture, decreased inflammation ( < 0.01), and reduced fibrosis ( < 0.05). The Comet assay confirmed a significant reduction in DNA damage ( < 0.01), indicating the protective effects of the interventions against diabetes-induced hepatic injury. These findings highlight the potential of combining supplementation with metformin as a promising probiotic-based therapeutic approach for managing diabetes-related liver complications. Future studies are warranted to confirm these results and to optimize the long-term efficacy of probiotic interventions in diabetes management.
肠道微生物群在调节健康和减轻糖尿病诱导的肝损伤方面发挥着关键作用。本研究评估了单独补充益生菌以及与二甲双胍联合补充益生菌对糖尿病诱导的肝功能障碍大鼠模型的肝脏保护作用。将大鼠分为六组：对照组、仅补充益生菌组、仅使用二甲双胍组、糖尿病组、补充益生菌的糖尿病组以及联合补充益生菌和二甲双胍治疗的糖尿病组。在禁食12小时后通过单次注射链脲佐菌素（STZ）诱导糖尿病。在诱导糖尿病前2周开始补充益生菌（每日1×10 CFU/kg）并在整个实验过程中持续，同时以治疗剂量同时给予二甲双胍。每周评估包括空腹血糖、胰岛素水平、糖化标志物和肝功能测试。益生菌和二甲双胍治疗均显著改善血糖控制（<0.05）并降低空腹血糖水平（<0.01），联合治疗效果最为显著。此外，胰岛素敏感性增强（<0.05），抗氧化酶水平恢复（<0.01），组织病理学分析显示肝脏结构保存、炎症减轻（<0.01）和纤维化减少（<0.05）。彗星试验证实DNA损伤显著减少（<0.01），表明这些干预措施对糖尿病诱导的肝损伤具有保护作用。这些发现突出了将补充益生菌与二甲双胍联合作为一种有前景的基于益生菌的治疗方法来管理糖尿病相关肝脏并发症的潜力。未来的研究有必要证实这些结果并优化益生菌干预在糖尿病管理中的长期疗效。
