Sugary Kefir Strain Lactobacillus mali APS1 Ameliorated Hepatic Steatosis by Regulation of SIRT‐1/Nrf‐2 and Gut Microbiota in Rats

SCOPE: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease that is concomitant with obesity, resulting in increased mortality. To date, the efficiency of NAFLD treatment still needs to be improved. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus mali APS1, which was isolated from sugary kefir, on hepatic steatosis in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Sprague Dawley rats were fed a control diet, a HFD with saline, and a HFD with APS1 intervention by gavage daily for 12 weeks. The results showed that APS1 significantly reduced body weight and body weight gain in HFD-fed rats. APS1 reduced hepatic lipid accumulation by regulating SIRT-1/PGC-1α/SREBP-1 expression. Moreover, APS1 increased hepatic antioxidant activity by modulating Nrf-2/HO-1 expression. Notably, APS1 manipulated the gut microbiota, resulting in increasing proportions of the phylum Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes and reducing the abundance of specific NAFLD-associated bacteria. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that APS1 ameliorated hepatic steatosis by modulating lipid metabolism and antioxidant activity via manipulating specific NAFLD-associated gut microbiota in vivo.