Table 1.
The design and main findings of animal studies investigating the role of the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of NAFLD
| Author | Study design | Main findings | Bacteria in the gut microbiota of mice with NAFLD |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ↓ concentration (protective) | ↑ concentration (potentially harmful) | |||
| Le Roy et al. [20] | Germ-free mice received a faecal transplant from two different groups of mice; either mice that demonstrated weight gain, systemic inflammation & insulin resistance on a high fat diet, or mice that demonstrated weight gain but no inflammation or insulin resistance on a high fat diet. | Germ‐free mice took on the phenotype of their faecal donors. The mice that developed the inflammatory & insulin resistance phenotype also developed hepatic steatosis. | Genus: Allobaculum | Phylum: Firmicutes |
| Species: Bacteroides vulgatus | Genus: Barnesiella, Roseburia | |||
| Species: Lachnospiraceae bacterium, Barnesiella intestinihominis | ||||
| Henao-Mejia et al. [21] | NAFLD mouse models were used in dysbiotic (inflammasome deficient) & non-dysbotic (wild type) mice to examine the effect of inflammasome deficient changes in the gut microbiome (increased Bacteroidetes) on the development of NAFLD. NAFLD mouse models used were; methionine choline‐deficient diet model, leptin receptor deficiency steatosis model, & the high fat diet model. | Inflammasome deficiency changes in the gut microbiome were associated with: | Genus: Lactobacillus | Phylum: Bacteroidetes |
| · ↑ hepatic steatosis | Family: Prevotellaceae | |||
| · ↑ hepatic inflammation | ||||
| · Co‐housing dysbiotic & non dysbiotic mice exacerbated NAFLD in both groups of mice | ||||
| Zeng et al. [22] | Obese mice (C57BL/6 model) were fed a high fat (45% energy) or low-fat (10% energy) diet for 10 weeks. | Mice on a high fat diet had: | Species: Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus taiwanensis | |
| · ↑ body weight (by 34%) | ||||
| · ↑ hepatic fat & inflammation | ||||
| · ↑ levels of lactobacillus in faeces which correlated positively with the severity of hepatic steatosis | ||||
| Cano et al. [23] | Obese (high fat diet‐induced) & lean mice were given either placebo or a probiotic consisting of Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum for 7 weeks. | Obese mice taking probiotic showed: | Genus: Bifidobacteria | Family: Enterobacteriaceae |
| · ↓ food intake & body weight | ||||
| · ↓ insulin resistance | ||||
| · ↓ hepatic fat | ||||
| · ↓ serum inflammatory markers | ||||
NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.