Probiotic potential and antimicrobial activity of Bacteroidales strains to fight fatty liver disease
Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a term which covers a range of disorders related to fat accumulation in the liver, which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. There are several factors that can predispose to MAFLD such as diet, lifestyle, host metabolism, microbiota composition, age and intestinal permeability. MAFLD has rapidly become a global health problem, due to its difficult early detection, lack of understanding of its pathogenesis and lack of specific treatments. Once diagnosed, the current treatment involves lifestyle changes, which can be difficult to maintain long-term. Therefore, several attempts have been made to deal with its onset and progression.
In his thesis, Diego Garcia de la Morena found members of the Bacteroidota phylum, one of the main taxonomy groups in the gut and regrettably understudied, that reduced gut inflammation while enhancing the gut epithelium, protecting it from gut permeability. Garcia de la Morena: 'Moreover, our candidate bacterial strain, Bacteroides sp. 4_1_36 (B6), was able to reduce the fat accumulation in a model human liver cell culture, opening the avenue for further research in liver fat accumulation prevention and treatment.
Finally, since the beginning and progression of MAFLD have been linked to certain bacterial strains present in our guts, we found several strains from the Bacteroidota phylum which showed antimicrobial activity against an MAFLD-promoting strain. Paving the way for microbiota-modulation strategies to fight against MAFLD and other metabolic diseases.