Impact of supplementation with a food-derived microbial community on obesity-associated inflammation and gut microbiota composition

Obesity is a complex pathology associated with dysbiosis, metabolic alterations and low grade chronic inflammation promoted by immune cells, infiltrating and populating the adipose tissue. Probiotic supplementation was suggested to be capable of counteracting obesity-associated immune and microbial alterations, based on its proven immunomodulatory activity and positive effect on gut microbial balance. Traditional fermented foods represent a natural source of live microbes, including environmental strains with probiotic features which can transiently colonise the gut. The aim of our work was to evaluate the impact of supplementation with a complex foodborne bacterial consortium on obesity-associated inflammation and gut microbiota composition in a mouse model. C57BL/6J mice fed a 45% high fat diet (HFD) for 90 days were supplemented with a mixture of foodborne lactic acid bacteria (LAB) derived from the traditional fermented dairy product "mozzarella di bufala campana" (MBC); with the commercial probiotic strain L. rhamnosus GG (LGG) or with PBS as control (CTRL). Faecal microbiota composition was studied at selected time points by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS).