Application of Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus lactis on Lipid Metabolism, Anti-Inflammatory, and Fecal Microbiota in Cats

Probiotics have been used in functional foods and dietary supplements, and in recent years, they have become more widely used in pets. In our previous experiment, <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> L-27-2 and <i>Pediococcus lactis</i> L-14-1 were isolated from cat feces and proved to have positive effects on lipid metabolism in mice. To further discuss their possible effects in cats, a total of 12 healthy cats (British Shorthair) were randomly divided into two groups. One group was fed <i>Pediococcus lactis</i> L-14-1 (1 × 10⁹ CFU/kg/d, n = 6), and the other group was fed <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> L-27-2 (1 × 10⁹ CFU/kg/d, n = 6), and the experiment was conducted for 28 days. Blood and feces were collected on days 0 and 28 separately. ELISA was used to detect blood biochemical indexes in cats. The results showed that L-27-2 and L-14-1 could reduce the content of TG (triglyceride, <i>p</i> < 0.05) and LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, <i>p</i> < 0.01) in the blood, increase the content of HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein, <i>p</i> < 0.01), and L-27-2 could significantly reduce the content of IL-6 (<i>p</i> < 0.01). The diversity of feces microbiota was also tested. On the phylum level, there was no significance in the phylum level of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (<i>p</i> > 0.05), but on the genus level, in the L-14-1 group, the abundance of <i>Lantiplantibacillus</i> and <i>Cetobacterium</i> was increased (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and the abundance of <i>Ruminococcus</i>, <i>Olsenella</i>, and <i>Labanicoccus</i> was decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while in the L-27-2 group, the abundance of <i>Libanicoccus</i> was also decreased in L-14-1 (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Above all, L-27-2 and L-14-1 can be considered potential probiotics to improve cat gut health and lipid metabolism.