Lactobacillus plantarum 06CC2 reduces hepatic cholesterol levels and modulates bile acid deconjugation in Balb/c mice fed a high‐cholesterol diet

Previous study suggested that dietary intake of Lactobacillus plantarum 06CC2 (LP06CC2) isolated from Mongolian dairy products showed various health beneficial effects. Here, the effect of LP06CC2 on the cholesterol metabolism in mice fed a cholesterol‐loaded diet was evaluated. Cholesterol and LP06CC2 were incorporated into the AIN93G‐based diet to evaluate the effect on cholesterol metabolism in Balb/c mice. Serum and liver cholesterol levels were significantly increased in mice fed a cholesterol‐loaded diet whereas the LP06CC2 ingestion suppressed the increase of liver cholesterol. LP06CC2 suppressed the increase of the hepatic damage indices. The increase of the cecal content and fecal butyrate were observed in mice fed LP06CC2. The analysis of bile acids clearly showed that LP06CC2 increased their deconjugation indicating the decrease of bile acid absorption. The protein expression of hepatic Cyp7A1 was also suppressed by LP06CC2 in mice fed cholesterol. Finally, in vitro studies showed that LP06CC2 had the most potent ability to deconjugate bile acids using glycocholate among the tested probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from Mongolian dairy products. Taken together, LP06CC2 is a promising microorganism for the reduction of the cholesterol pool via modulation of bile acid deconjugation.