Effect of viable and inactivated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG administration on the prevention of diet-induced obesity in rats: Implication of white and brown adipose tissue and influence of bacterial viability

Obesity is one of the most prevalent chronic metabolic alterations worldwide being highly related to an increased risk for further associated co-morbidities. Current evidence indicates that subjects with obesity have a distinct gut microbiota signature, emphasizing gut microbiota composition as a potential mediating factor. The aim of this research is to evaluate the potential effects of viable and heat-inactivated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in the prevention of diet-induced obesity in a rat model. The administration of the probiotic or its heat-inactivated postbiotic partially prevented diet-induced WAT increase in a similar manner. While viable probiotic administration resulted in a reduced lipid uptake (LPL) and de novo lipogenesis (FAS), along with enhanced lipolysis (ATGL) in WAT, its heat-inactivated postbiotic mainly acted reducing de novo lipogenesis. Additionally, the obtained results demonstrated that probiotic administration enhanced thermogenesis (UCP1) and fatty acid oxidation (CPT-1b) on BAT, as well as upregulated several markers involved in mitochondrial biogenesis (p38 MAPK, NRF1 and CS). By contrast, despite the administration of the postbiotic upregulated thermogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in a comparable manner as the probiotic, these results were not accompanied by changes in mitochondrial biogenesis markers. These results indicate that under the specific experimental conditions tested, both the administration of viable and heat-inactivated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG present valuable potential for preventing diet-induced WAT mass increase in rats. While both treatments exerted similar effects on WAT and BAT, subtle differences that may derive from bacterial viability were observed in the involved mechanisms of action.