title: Effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG in pediatric obesity-related liver disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Various lines of evidence suggest that malfunctioning of the gut-liver axis contributes to hepatic damage of rodents and humans with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We evaluated the effects of short-term probiotic treatment in children with obesity-related liver disease who were noncompliant with lifestyle interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty obese children (age 10.7 ± 2.1 years) with persisting hypertransaminasemia and ultrasonographic (US) bright liver were enrolled in this double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. At baseline, patients underwent clinical and laboratory anthropometric evaluation, measurement of the US hepatorenal ratio, standard liver function tests, oral glucose tolerance test, serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, the glucose hydrogen breath test, and evaluation of serum antibodies to antipeptidoglycan-polysaccharide polymers. After exclusion of causes of liver disease other than obesity, patients received either probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (12 billion CFU/day) or placebo for 8 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate analysis after probiotic treatment revealed a significant decrease in alanine aminotransferase (average variation vs placebo P = 0.03) and in antipeptidoglycan-polysaccharide antibodies (average variation vs placebo P = 0.03) irrespective of changes in BMI z score and visceral fat. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and US bright liver parameters remained fairly stable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Probiotic L rhamnosus strain GG warrants consideration as a therapeutic tool to treat hypertransaminasemia in hepatopathic obese children noncompliant with lifestyle interventions.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. vajro@unina.it, pvajro@unisa.it
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vajro
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mandato
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Licenziati
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franzese
authors.forename: Dino Franco
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.forename: Selvaggia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lenta
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caropreso
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vallone
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meli
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat; D052201:Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus / Q000145:classification; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000276:immunology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000410:Alanine Transaminase