Impact of Pro-Biotic Administration on an Acute Coronary Event

Abstract

Aims: Recent studies have suggested promising health benefits for pro-biotics in humans. Most of these studies focus on the advantages of pro-biotics in relation to immune function, but little has been done to evaluate the impact of pro-biotics on inflammatory response and cardiovascular health. In the present study we investigated the impact of pro-biotic administration on mice prior to and following an acute coronary event. Methods and Results: We compared male mice on high-fat or normal diet that were gavaged for 4 weeks with a B. lactis strain of probiotic or with saline for control. Mice were then subjected to myocardial infarction or sham surgery. Mice administered B. lactis were found to have an attenuated weight gain on both high-fat and normal diet compared to saline controls. Mice treated with B. lactis displayed an infarct area of 10.5±3.0%, which is significantly less (p<0.01) than the infarct area of saline treated mice (29.5±4.7%). Serum glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, C-reactive protein (CRP) and endotoxin levels were measured following surgery and hearts were preserved for histological and molecular analyses. Conclusions: Our data show promising insights to a beneficial role of pro-biotic administration in relation to metabolic changes in mice and the acute inflammatory response.