Transcriptomic analysis reveals Lactobacillus reuteri alleviating alcohol-induced liver injury in mice

ALD is caused by alcohol abuse and can progress to hepatitis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Previous studies suggested that L.reuteri helps ameliorate ALD, but the exact mechanisms are not fully known. This study created an ALD model in mice and treated them with L. reuteri by gavage. The results showed L.reuteri significantly alleviating lipid accumulation in the mice, and data based on 10 day and 18 day periods showed a trend of increasing efficacy with increasing time. Transcriptome sequencing showed the L. reuteri treatment group had the most enriched metabolic pathway genes, with Srebf1 upregulated and Sirt1 downregulated compared to the alcohol group. We then studied the FXR metabolic pathway in the mice liver tissue. Western blot analysis showed that FXR and ChREBP were upregulated and Srebf1 and CD36 were downregulated in the L.reuteri-treated group. In conclusion, our study shows L.reuteri improved liver lipid accumulation in mice via the FXR signaling regulatory axis and may be a viable treatment option for ALD.