Evaluation of the hypoglycemic effect of probiotics via directly consuming glucose in intestines of STZ-induced diabetic mice and glucose water-induced diabetic mice

Diabetes has steadily increased in the past few decades and causes huge influences on human health care and socioeconomic development, and drugs with minimal or no side effects for diabetes are imminent. In the present study, probiotic combination containing five selected probiotics were used to treat diabetes, the high glucose consumption capability and sound probiotic characteristics in vitro showed that the probiotics could consume all glucose within 24 h, and could tolerate low potential of hydrogen (pH) (pH = 2) and high bile salt concentration (0.3%), and they also had sound oxidation resistance [2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH),∙O2−, OH, Fe2+ chelation, and the reducing powers] and antibacterial activity, highly adhere to HT-29 cells and markedly reduced the chance for pathogens to adhere to HT-29 cell (p < 0.05) in vitro. Then, the in vivo results further confirmed that probiotic combination had obviously reduced blood glucose in STZ-induced diabetic mice and glucose water-induced diabetic mice, via directly consuming glucose in intestines, increasing the β cell number, the expression of pancreas duodenum homeobox factor-1 (PDX-1), and reduced the expression of glucose transporters of Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 1 (SGLT-1) and Glucose Transporter type2 (GLUT-2) (p < 0.05). Moreover, probiotics had obviously reduced the intestinal permeability via increasing the intestinal mucosal barrier and permeability proteins of Claudin 1 and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), reducing the pancreatic inflammation [Toll-like receptors 4 (TLR4), Nuclear transcription factor kBP65 (p65), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6)] and promoted the cell apoptosis [B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2 Associated X Protein (Bax)]. In conclusion, our group verifies the key role of glucose consumption effect of probiotics, besides its insulin promoting effect and α-glucosidase inhibiting effect.