ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Microbial Immunology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1660131
Lactobacillus salivarius Extracellular Vesicles Enhance Gut and Liver Function in MAFLD
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
- 2Shanghai Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai, China
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Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is associated with an accumulation of fat in the liver, disruptions in lipid metabolism, and imbalances in the gut microbiome. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from probiotics have emerged as potential mediators of host lipid metabolism effect. The precise mechanisms by which EVs derived from probiotics influence MAFLD are still not fully understood. Methods: We examined the therapeutic potential of EVs sourced from Lactobacillus salivarius SNK-6 (LsEVs) using a mouse model of MAFLD and fatty acids induced cells. Results: Oral LsEVs administration reduced weight gain, lower liver enzyme levels, and less liver fat in mice. Meanwhile, LsEVs increases the secretion of anti-inflammatory factor IL-4 in mice subjected to a high-fat diet, but inhibited the pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion in lipopolysaccharide induced gut cells. Mechanistically, LsEVs enhance liver cell mitophagy via Beclin-1 and PPAR related pathways. LsEVs also increased tight junction proteins in epithelial cells. Furthermore, LsEVs boost gut bacterial diversity in MAFLD -afflicted mice by promoting beneficial Bacteroidota and suppressing harmful Desulfovibrio. Conclusions: Our research established a foundation for the future use of LsEVs in treating MAFLD and provided novel insights into the mechanisms of lipid metabolism influenced by EVs derived from probiotics in the context of MAFLD.
Keywords: extracellular vesicles, Lactobacillus salivarius, Fatty Liver, mitophagy, Lipid Metabolism
Received: 05 Jul 2025; Accepted: 15 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhu, Huang, Luo, Yan, Wu and Liao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rongrong Liao, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
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