Therapeutic Potential of Probiotics –Lactobacillus Plantarum UBLP40 and Bacillus Clausii UBBC07 on Thioacetamide-Induced Acute Hepatic Encephalopathy in Rats

Abstract Purpose: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) or hepatic coma is an onerous, not utterly understood complication accompanying both acute and chronic liver dysfunction and/ or presence of portosystemic shunting. In HE, hyperammonemia and inflammatory responses are believed to act in synergism. Probiotics, Lactobacillus plantarum UBLP40 and Bacillus clausii UBBC07 reduce small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and hyperammonemia, thereby preventing the development of HE. Methods: The effect of probiotics-Lactobacillus plantarum UBLP40 (107CFU/day, 14 days) and Bacillus clausiiUBBC07 (107CFU/day, 14 days) combination and standard drug-lactulose (2.5 ml/kg in 3 divided doses, 14 days) was studied in thioacetamide (250mg/kg for 3 days) induced acute HE in rats by measuring behavioural parameters, biochemical parameters (serum AST, ALT, ALP and ammonia level), neurochemical parameters and histopathology study in brain and liver. Results: In contrast to only thioacetamide treated rats, probiotics treatment substantially (p<0.001) reduced liver function parameters i.e. serum AST, ALT, ALP, and ammonia, improved behaviour parameters, i.e. decreased motor disruption, improved memory impairment. Probiotics treated rats have also shown a substantial improvement in parameters of oxidative stress, i.e. decreased lipid peroxidation and increased glutathione level in brain tissue and ameliorate the histopathological changes induced by thioacetamide in brain and liver.Conclusions: It can be concluded based on the findings that the combination therapy of Lactobacillus plantarum UBLP40 and Bacillus clausiiUBBC07 proves to be effective in acute hepatic encephalopathy in the preclinical stage and further studies are required to assess this therapy potential in the clinical stage.