Probiotics intervention reduces oxidative stress–driven myocardial injury

Abstract Aging is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, characterized by progressive structural and functional decline in the heart. In addition to oxidative stress, which is a key player in aging, recent research suggests that the gut-heart axis may contribute to age-related cardiac dysfunction, with probiotics emerging as a potential therapeutic strategy. While probiotics have been extensively studied for their benefits in metabolic, neurological, and immune disorders, their impact on cardiac aging remains largely unexplored. This study investigates the cardioprotective effects of Lacticaseibacillus casei and Bifidobacterium breve in a D-galactose-induced aging model. Male BALB/c mice were subcutaneously injected with D-galactose (100 mg/kg) to induce aging and subsequently received oral supplementation with L. casei (2 × 109 CFU/mL), B. breve (2 × 109 CFU/mL), or their combination (2 × 109 CFU/mL) daily for eight weeks. The results revealed that probiotics mitigated myocardial damage, including inflammation, congestion, cardiomyocyte degeneration, edema, and fibrosis. Furthermore, probiotics enhanced Sirt1 gene expression, increased glutathione (GSH) levels, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, highlighting their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in ameliorating cardiac aging. We found that L. casei demonstrated superior performance compared to B. breve, and the combination therapy outperformed the single-strain treatments. Overall, these findings suggest that probiotic interventions may serve as a promising strategy for combating oxidative stress and age-related cardiac deterioration.