Affiliation:
1. Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, WELBIO (Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology), Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Brussels, Belgium
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Growing evidence shows that gut microbes are key factors involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis, metabolic inflammation, lipid metabolism, and glucose metabolism. Therefore, gut microbiota modulations caused by selectively fermented oligosaccharides or probiotic bacteria constitute an interesting target in the physiopathology of obesity. However, to date, no probiotic yeast has been investigated in this context. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the impact of the most-studied probiotic yeast (i.e.,
Saccharomyces boulardii
Biocodex) on obesity and associated metabolic features, such as fat mass development, hepatic steatosis, and low-grade inflammation, in obese mice.
S. boulardii
was administered daily by oral gavage to leptin-resistant obese and type 2 diabetic mice (
db/db
) for 4 weeks. We found that
S. boulardii
-treated mice exhibited reduced body weight, fat mass, hepatic steatosis, and inflammatory tone. Interestingly, these effects of
S. boulardii
on host metabolism were associated with local effects in the intestine.
S. boulardii
increased cecum weight and cecum tissue weight but also induced dramatic changes in the gut microbial composition at the phylum, family, and genus levels. These gut microbiota changes in response to
S. boulardii
may also be correlated with the host metabolism response. In conclusion, this study demonstrates for the first time that
S. boulardii
may act as a beneficial probiotic treatment in the context of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
IMPORTANCE
To date, no probiotic yeast have been investigated in the context of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Here we found that type 2 diabetic and obese mice (
db/db
) treated with
Saccharomyces boulardii
exhibited reduced body weight, fat mass, hepatic steatosis, and inflammatory tone. These effects on host metabolism were associated with local effects in the intestine. Importantly, by using pyrosequencing, we found that
S. boulardii
treatment induces changes of the gut microbiota composition at the phylum, family, and genus levels. Moreover, we found that gut microbiota changes in response to
S. boulardii
were correlated with several host metabolism responses.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology