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. 2025 Feb 17;27(1):14.
doi: 10.1007/s12017-025-08837-1.

The Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Improving Behavioral Deficits, Serum Levels of Vitamin D3, B12 and Reducing Oxidative Stress and Demyelination in a Cuprizone-induced Demyelination Model of Rat

Maryam Kazemimiraki  1 , Elham Moazamian  2 , Mohammad Javad Mokhtari  3 , Mehrdad Gholamzad  4
Affiliations

The Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Improving Behavioral Deficits, Serum Levels of Vitamin D3, B12 and Reducing Oxidative Stress and Demyelination in a Cuprizone-induced Demyelination Model of Rat

Maryam Kazemimiraki et al. Neuromolecular Med. .

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis constitutes a chronic, inflammatory, and demyelinating disorder affecting the central nervous system, with an estimated global prevalence of 2.5 million individuals. Emerging research underscores the significant influence of the gut microbiota on the immune system, suggesting a potential role in the initiation and progression of inflammatory diseases. This study investigated the potential therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species isolated from traditional dairy products on cuprizone-induced demyelination in a rat model. 48 adults male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to six groups. Demyelination was induced by daily oral administration of 0.6% (w/w) cuprizone mixed with food for 30 days. Subsequently, treated groups received oral administration of mixed of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus reuteri: and mixed of Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium animalis. A control group received no bacteria intervention. Behavioral deficits were assessed using grip-traction, beam-walking, and grid-walking tests. Oxidative stress biomarkers were quantified using colorimetric assays. The extent of demyelination was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining of the corpus callosum. Serum levels of vitamin D3 and B12 were measured by ELISA. The results demonstrated that lactic acid bacteria supplementation significantly improved behavioral deficits and reduced demyelination in the corpus callosum. Furthermore, these bacteria administration was associated with reduced oxidative stress and increased serum levels of vitamin D3 and B12. These findings suggest that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species may offer a supplementary therapeutic strategy for demyelinating disorders such as multiple sclerosis, potentially by mitigating oxidative stress, promoting remyelination, and enhancing vitamin D3 and B12 levels.

Keywords: Cuprizone; Motor tests; Multiple sclerosis; Oxidative stress; Vitamin B12; Vitamin D3.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht Branch. IR.IAU.M.REC.1401.007.

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