Liver tissue weight down 41%, intracellular lipid droplets reduced 63%

Strains derived from newborns and kimchi suppress fat-synthesis genes in liver cells

Metabolic hormone normalization points to gut-liver axis as target for metabolic disease treatment

A research paper identifying the mechanism by which CBT lactic acid bacteria improve fatty liver. [Cell Biotech]
A research paper identifying the mechanism by which CBT lactic acid bacteria improve fatty liver. [Cell Biotech]

New research shows that strains in Cell Biotech's probiotic brand Duolac can suppress fat accumulation in the liver and improve metabolic conditions, building on earlier findings about the product's weight-loss effects.

Cell Biotech said Monday that a joint study by its R&D center and the World Institute of Kimchi — a government-funded research institute — had identified the biological mechanism by which a combination of its patented lactic acid bacteria strains CBT-BR3 (Bifidobacterium breve) and CBT-LP3 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum) inhibits fatty liver development. The findings were published in volume 36 of the Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, an SCIE-indexed international academic journal.

The research team evaluated changes in hepatic metabolic markers using a human liver cell model (HepG2) with induced fat accumulation and a mouse model in which obesity was induced through a high-fat diet.

When the CBT strains were administered orally to high-fat-diet mice for six weeks, body weight fell 10.8 percent, body fat 16.4 percent and abdominal fat 41.7 percent compared with the control group. Liver tissue weight dropped 41.1 percent, and the number of lipid droplets in liver tissue fell 63.3 percent — from an average of 360 in the control group to 132. Food intake showed no significant difference between groups, confirming that the reduction in hepatic fat accumulation occurred independently of dietary intake.

At the molecular level, expression of key genes involved in fat synthesis in liver cells — Srebp1c, Pparγ, Cebpα, Acc and Fas — fell by an average of 59.7 percent. Liver damage markers AST and ALT declined 39 percent and 46.1 percent, respectively, while leptin levels and the leptin-to-adiponectin ratio — indicators of insulin resistance and obesity — also dropped significantly.

CBT-BR3 is derived from neonatal fecal matter and CBT-LP3 from kimchi, a traditional fermented food. Both strains are listed on the US Food and Drug Administration's Generally Recognized as Safe registry, confirming their safety.

The study is significant for scientifically demonstrating, in both cell and animal models, that a specific probiotic combination can reduce hepatic fat accumulation by suppressing fat-synthesis gene expression in liver cells and regulating metabolic hormone secretion — validating the potential of lactic acid bacteria to address metabolic fatty liver disease.

"Fatty liver, if left untreated, carries a high risk of progressing into complex metabolic syndrome conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease," a Cell Biotech official said. "Following our earlier research on weight reduction in companion animals, we have now demonstrated the mechanism behind the suppression of hepatic fat accumulation and gene expression. We will continue to scientifically verify the potential of the microbiome across various metabolic health areas and develop differentiated probiotic solutions."


silverpaper@heraldcorp.com