Ahmadi Asouri Sahar, Motallebi Mitra, Karimi Merat, Akhavan Taheri Maryam, Aghadavod Esmat, Qanbari Mahla, Mirzaei Hamed, Amiri Siavash, Shahaboddin Mohammad Esmaeil
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2025 Jun 27. doi: 10.1007/s12602-025-10625-z.
Probiotic supplementation can mitigate hepatic injury, but the low survival rate of probiotics through the gastrointestinal tract limits their therapeutic efficacy. This study aimed to enhance the viability of Pediococcus acidilactici (P. acidilactici) by encapsulating it in an alginate-pectin matrix coated with chitosan (APC) and to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of the encapsulated probiotic in a rat model of bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced hepatic fibrosis. APC microcapsules were fabricated using an extrusion technique and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to confirm successful encapsulation. The survival of encapsulated and non-encapsulated P. acidilactici was assessed in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. For in vivo evaluation, forty-eight rats were randomly assigned to six groups and treated for 28 days. Outcomes included serum bilirubin and liver enzyme levels, hepatic oxidative stress markers, histopathological changes, and expression of fibrosis- and inflammation-related genes measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Encapsulation significantly improved probiotic viability in gastrointestinal conditions (5.15 ± 0.21 vs. 2.05 ± 0.35 log₁₀ CFU/mL after two hours, P ≤ 0.05). In BDL rats, treatment with encapsulated P. acidilactici led to significant reductions in serum bilirubin, liver enzymes, and oxidative stress, alongside improved liver histology and favorable modulation of gene expression compared to controls (P ≤ 0.05). These findings demonstrate that APC encapsulation enhances the gastrointestinal stability of P. acidilactici and supports its therapeutic potential against hepatic fibrosis.
补充益生菌可以减轻肝损伤，但益生菌通过胃肠道时的低存活率限制了它们的治疗效果。本研究旨在通过将嗜酸乳杆菌（P. acidilactici）包裹在壳聚糖包被的海藻酸盐-果胶基质（APC）中来提高其活力，并在胆管结扎（BDL）诱导的肝纤维化大鼠模型中评估包封益生菌的肝脏保护作用。使用挤压技术制备APC微胶囊，并通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）进行表征，以确认成功包封。在模拟胃肠液中评估包封和未包封的嗜酸乳杆菌的存活率。对于体内评估，将48只大鼠随机分为6组，并治疗28天。结果包括血清胆红素和肝酶水平、肝脏氧化应激标志物、组织病理学变化以及通过定量逆转录PCR（RT-qPCR）测量的纤维化和炎症相关基因的表达。包封显著提高了益生菌在胃肠道条件下的活力（两小时后为5.15±0.21对2.05±0.35 log₁₀ CFU/mL，P≤0.05）。在BDL大鼠中，与对照组相比，用包封的嗜酸乳杆菌治疗导致血清胆红素、肝酶和氧化应激显著降低，同时肝脏组织学改善和基因表达得到有利调节（P≤0.05）。这些发现表明，APC包封提高了嗜酸乳杆菌的胃肠道稳定性，并支持其对肝纤维化的治疗潜力。
