Antioxidant activity of Lactobacillus plantarum NJAU-01 in an animal model of aging

BACKGROUND: Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause serious damage to the human body and may cause various chronic diseases. Studies have found that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have antioxidant and anti-aging effects, and are important resources for the development of microbial antioxidants. This paper was to explore the potential role of an antioxidant strain, Lactobacillus plantarum NJAU-01 screened from traditional dry-cured meat product Jinhua Ham in regulating D-galactose-induced subacute senescence of mice. A total of 48 specific pathogen free Kun Ming mice (SPF KM mice) were randomly allocated into 6 groups: control group with sterile saline injection, aging group with subcutaneously injection of D-galactose, treatments groups with injection of D-galactose and intragastric administration of 10(7), 10(8), and 10(9) CFU/mL L. plantarum NJAU-01, and positive control group with injection of D-galactose and intragastric administration of 1 mg/mL Vitamin C. RESULTS: The results showed that the treatment group of L. plantarum NJAU-01 at 10(9) CFU/mL showed higher total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and the antioxidant enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) than those of the other groups in serum, heart and liver. In contrast, the content of the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA) showed lower levels than the other groups (P < 0.05). The antioxidant capacity was improved with the supplement of the increasing concentration of L. plantarum NJAU-01. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, this study demonstrates that L. plantarum NJAU-01 can alleviate oxidative stress by increasing the activities of enzymes involved in oxidation resistance and decreasing level of lipid oxidation in mice.