Milk-based Drinks containing Lactic Acid Bacteria on Gut Dysbiosis and Birth Weight from Undernourished Pregnant Rats

Abstract

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) can be an alternative intervention to help improve pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to examine the effects of milk-based drinks (MBD) containing a single strain, namely Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, and MBD containing multiple strains, namely Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Streptococcus thermophi- lus to improve gut dysbiosis and offspring birthweight in malnourished pregnant rats, conducted at the Experimental Animal Laboratory from 2020 to 2021. The sample consisted of female rats that were induced with malnutrition and mated. Twenty four female Sprague Dawley rats, aged 7-8 weeks, weighing 150-250 grams, were randomly divided into one negative control group (A0) and three malnourished groups. The malnourished groups consisted of the positive control group (A1), MBD-LcS group (A2), and MBD-multi strain group (A3). The intervention was administered for 19 days. Data was analyzed using ANOVA. Results showed that administering MBDs significantly affected total coliform bacteria (p<0.05).  Moreover, it significantly affected the offspring’s birth weight. The highest birth weight was found in the A3 group (5.18±0.88 g). Overall, prodiving MBDs containing beneficial bacteria significantly improved total coliform bacteria and pregnancy outcomes. Thus, it can help reduce nutritional and health problems in the future.