Anti-obesity effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus 4B15, and its synergy with hydrolysed lactose skim milk powder

In the present study, the anti-obesity effects of probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus 4B15), prebiotic (hydrolysed lactose skim milk powder), and synbiotic (L. rhamnosus 4B15 + hydrolysed lactose skim milk powder) were evaluated. Five-week-old C57BL/6N mice were fed a 45% fat diet (HFD, high-fat diet) to induce obesity. Mice administered phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) served as the control group. The treatments were simultaneously administered for 10 weeks. Consequently, the synbiotic reduced body fat accumulation and liver damage in obese mice, to a greater degree than the corresponding parameters in probiotic- and prebiotic-treated mice. Synbiotic also reduced the expression of genes related to fat synthesis and inflammation in adipose and hepatic cells, compared with the corresponding gene expression in the control group. These results indicate that L. rhamnosus 4B15 combined with hydrolysed lactose skim milk powder exerts anti-obesity effects by downregulating fat synthesis and inflammation.