Screening and Identification of Probiotic Lactobacilli from the Infant Gut Microbiota to Alleviate Lead Toxicity

Abstract

Lead (Pb²⁺) exposure cause a potential hazard to human health and the ecological environment; however, prevention and treatment of Pb²⁺ toxicity remain problems. The aim of this study is to isolate a novel probiotic lead (Pb²⁺)-resistant Lactobacillus strain from the infant gut microbiota and to determine whether they have the probiotic properties and investigate its preventive and therapeutic effects in the early-life Pb²⁺ exposure mouse model. In the present study, a total of 64 Pb²⁺-resistant colonies were isolated from the infant gut microbiota. Of these colonies, SYF-08, identified as Lacticaseibacillus casei, exhibited a Pb²⁺-binding capacity and Pb²⁺ tolerance. The in vivo study showed that SYF-08 treatment could effectively reduce Pb²⁺ levels in the blood, alleviate Pb²⁺ enrichment in bone and brain tissues, and recover the intestinal and brain damage in both dams and offspring. SYF-08 treatment also improved the antioxidant index in the liver and kidney tissues, while increasing the diversity of the intestinal microbiota of the offspring. The results of the in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that SYF-08, isolated from infant fecal samples, is a promising candidate probiotic against Pb²⁺ toxicity.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Lactobacilli; Lead toxicity; Probiotics.