Effect of Bacillus coagulans and Lactobacillus plantarum as probiotic on alleviation of mercury toxicity in rat

Objectives: Mercury (Hg) is a wide-spread heavy metal that causes a wide range of health problems in animals and humans. Many reports showed the biosorption of heavy metals by bacteria. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potency of probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus coagulans) against mercury-induced toxicity in rat.Materials Methods: Thirty six male adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups (control, Hg, Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp), Bacillus coagulans (Bc), Hg + Lp, Hg + Bc). Hg treated groups received one ml 10 µg/ml mercuric chloride solution. Probiotic groups were administrated 1×109 CFU/ml of probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum or Bacillus coagulans) during 48 days by special gavage needle once daily. Levels of mercury were determined by using cold vapor technique. All biochemical parameters including glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), bilirubin, urea and creatinine were measured by commercial kits.Result Conclusion: Probiotic bacteria provided a significantly higher mercury content of stool compared with the mercury-only treated group (P 0.05), that exhibited oral administration of both probiotics offered a significant protective effect against mercury toxicity by decreasing the heavy metals levels in liver and kidney. Gram positive bacteria, particularly Bacillus spp. and lactic acid bacteria have high adsorptive capacity due to high peptidoglycan and teichoic acid content in their cell walls. A marked reduction caused by probiotics in the levels of creatinine, urea, bilirubin, ALT and AST and preventing alterations in the levels of GPx and SOD caused by metal exposure indicates the positive influence of probiotics on the adverse effects of Hg in various tissues such as liver and kidney. L. plantarum and B. coagulans are effective in lightening mercury toxicity in rat.