Membrane Vesicles from Lactobacillus Acidophilus Reduce Intestinal Inflammation and Increase 5-HT in the Substantia Nigra of Rats with Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the role of membrane vesicles (MVs) from the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus in reducing intestinal inflammation and increasing 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the substantia nigra in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD).

METHODS

Twenty healthy male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 5 per group), including a) control, b) 6-OHDA, c) 6-OHDA+MV, and d) sham groups. PD was induced by bilateral injection of 6-OHDA. Rats in the 6-OHDA+MV group received MV equivalent to 1 × 107 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL 3 d/wk by oral gavage for 4 wk. At the end of 4 wk, all rats were sacrificed; the brain and small intestine were removed for cellular and molecular analysis.

RESULTS

The induction of PD by 6-OHDA induced a remarkable decrease in beam-walking (p <0.0001). In addition, the expression of protein and genes (receptor) of 5-HT (r-5-HT1A) decreased, and that of protein and gene (receptor; GABBR1) of GABA increased in the PD group (p <0.05 compared with the healthy control group), while MV gavage of 6-OHDA-injected rats controlled these factors in the substantia nigra. In the intestinal tissue, the expression of TLR-4 and α-synuclein gene was significantly increased in the 6-OHDA group compared to the control group (p <0.0001).

CONCLUSION

MVs might act as potential beneficial tools to reduce intestinal inflammation, control neurological damage associated with PD, and increase 5-HT neurotransmitters. It seems that MVs from L. acidophilus may have therapeutic potential in Parkinson's neurological disorder by controlling the gut-brain axis.