Influence of supplementation with iron and probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus curvatus on selected parameters of inflammatory state in rats on a high-fat iron-deficient diet

Katarzyna Skrypnik, a, Marcin Schmidt, b, Agnieszka Olejnik-Schmidt, b, Iskandar Azmy Harahap, a and Joanna Suliburska, a

a Institute of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland

b Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A high-fat (HF) diet, diet iron deficiency and iron supplementation may affect inflammatory parameters. Probio- tics influence both iron metabolism and inflammation. We compared the inflammatory state in rats on a HF iron-deficient diet receiving oral iron, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus curvatus in different combinations.

METHODS: This was a two-stage experiment. In groups C (n = 8) and HF (n = 8), rats ate a control or HF diet, respectively, for 16 weeks. In the group HFDEF (n = 48), rats ate a HF iron-deficient diet for 8 weeks (first stage) and were subsequently divided into 6 groups (n = 8 each) receiving the following for a further 8 weeks (second stage): HFDEF – a HF iron-deficient diet; HFDEFFe – a HF iron-deficient diet with iron; HFDEFLp and HFDEFLc – a HF iron-deficient diet with L. plantarum or L. curvatus, respectively; and HFDEFFeLp and HFDEFFeLc – a HF iron-deficient diet with iron and L. plantarum or L. curvatus, respectively. Body composition analysis and blood sampling was performed. Markers of iron status and levels of total antiox- idant status (TAS), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-⊍) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were measured in the blood.

RESULTS: TAS was higher in the HFDEF group (756.57 ± 489.53 ng mL−1 ) versus the HFDEFLc group (187.04 ± 47.84 ng mL−1 ; P = 0.022). No more differences were found between groups, or in TAS, CRP, TNF-⊍ and IL-6 concentrations. Also, no differences were found between groups for alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, glucose, total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipo- proteins and triglycerides. TAS level was positively correlated with ferritin concentration, IL-6 with TAS and TNF-⊍ with hepci- din level.

CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation with L. plantarum, L. curvatus and iron in combinations exerts no influence on inflammatory status, lipid profile, hepatic function and serum fasting glucose in rats on a HF iron-deficient diet.

Keywords: iron; probiotics; inflammatory status; iron-deficient diet

J Sci Food Agric 2024