@article{
author = "Brdarić, Emilija and Popović, Dušanka and Soković Bajić, Svetlana and Tucović, Dina and Mutić, Jelena and Čakić-Milošević, Maja and Đurđić, Slađana and Tolinački, Maja and Popov Aleksandrov, Aleksandra and Golić, Nataša and Mirkov, Ivana and Živković, Milica",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic metal that is distributed worldwide. Exposure to it is
correlated with a vast number of diseases and organism malfunctions. Exopolysaccharides (EPS)
derived from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BGAN8, EPS-AN8, previously showed great potential for
the in vitro protection of intestinal cells from this metal. Here, we investigated the potential of food
supplemented with EPS-AN8 to protect rats from the hazardous effects of Cd exposure. After thirty
days of exposure to lower (5 ppm) and higher (50 ppm)-Cd doses, the administration of EPS-AN8 led
to decreased Cd content in the kidneys, liver, and blood compared to only Cd-treated groups, whereas
the fecal Cd content was strongly enriched. In addition, EPS-AN8 reversed Cd-provoked effects on
the most significant parameters of oxidative stress (MDA, CAT, GST, and GSH) and inflammation
(IL-1 , TNF- , and IFN-
) in the duodenum. Moreover, micrographs of the duodenum were in line
with these findings. As the gut microbiota has an important role in maintaining homeostasis, we used
16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and investigated the effects of Cd and EPS-AN8 on one part of the
microbiota presented in the duodenum. Although Cd decreased the growth of lactobacilli and mostly
favored the blooming of opportunistic pathogen bacteria, parallel intake of EPS-AN8 reversed those
changes. Therefore, our results imply that EPS-AN8 might be extremely noteworthy in combatting
this toxic environmental pollutant.",
publisher = "Basel: MDPI",
journal = "International Journal of Molecular Sciences",
title = "Orally Administrated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BGAN8-Derived EPS-AN8 Ameliorates Cd Hazards in Rats",
number = "3",
volume = "24",
doi = "10.3390/ijms24032845",
pages = "2845"
}