Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Ameliorates Liver Injury and Hypoxic Hepatitis in Rat Model of CLP-Induced Sepsis

Background Probiotic use to prevent gastrointestinal infections in critical care has shown great promise in recent clinical trials. Although well-documented benefits of probiotic use in intestinal disorders, the potential for probiotic treatment to ameliorate liver injury and hypoxic hepatitis following sepsis has not been well explored. Methods In order to evaluate, if Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) treatment in septic rats will protect against liver injury, this study used 20-22-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats which were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture to establish sepsis model and examine mRNA and protein levels of IL-1 beta, NLRP3, IL-6, TNF-a, VEGF, MCP1, NF-kB and HIF-1 alpha in the liver via real-time PCR, Elisa and Western blot. Results This study showed that LGG treatment significantly ameliorated liver injury following experimental infection and sepsis. Liver mRNA and protein levels of IL-1 beta, NLRP3, IL-6, TNF-a, VEGF, MCP1, NF-kB and HIF-1 alpha were significantly reduced in rats receiving LGG. Conclusions Thus, our study demonstrated that LGG treatment can reduce liver injury following experimental infection and sepsis and is associated with improved hypoxic hepatitis. Probiotic therapy may be a promising intervention to ameliorate clinical liver injury and hypoxic hepatitis following systemic infection and sepsis.