Efficacy of probiotic Lactobacillus species for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in mice

Abstract

Background: Probiotics are live microorganisms which when consumed provide health benefits to the consumer. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic Lactobacillus species for type 2 diabetes (T2D) treatment in mice. Materials and Methods: Streptozotocin-induced diabetic male mice (40 mg/kg) were treated with probiotic Lactobacillus species (L. casei, L. delbrueckii, L. fermentum & L. plantarum – 109 CFU/mL) isolated from cabbage, ogi, tiger nuts and palm wine. The non-diabetic control group was given placebo for the treatment period. The Lactobacillus species were established as probiotics due to their antimicrobial activity & tolerance to bile salts and low pH. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting serum insulin (FSI) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), were measured using a glucometer and an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) kit, after four weeks of treatment. Results and Conclusion: Mice treated with L. casei had FBG of 105.50±2.6 mg/dL, FSI of 6.45±0.1 µu/ml, and HOMA-IR of 1.68±0.1. Mice treated with L. delbrueckii had FBG of 106.75±2.5 mg/dL, FSI of 6.40±0.4 µu/ml, and HOMA-IR of 1.70±0.1. Mice treated with L. plantarum had FBG of 93.50±2.6 mg/dL, FSI of 6.48±0.2 µu/ml, and HOMA-IR of 1.48±0.1. Mice treated with L. fermentum had FBG of 107.00±3.7 mg/dL, FSI of 6.58±0.1 µu/ml, and HOMA-IR of 1.75±0.1. The diabetic control group that had FBG of 368.50±13.5 mg/dL, FSI of 3.45±0.2 µu/ml, and HOMA-IR of 3.13±0.1. The results showed that the probiotic treatment was effective in significantly (p