Antihypertensive effects of probiotics <i>Lactobacillus</i> strains in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Scope The cardiovascular effects of probiotics Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 (LC40), or L. coryniformis CECT5711 (K8) plus L. gasseri CECT5714 (LC9) (1:1) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were evaluated. Methods and results Ten Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and 30 SHR were randomly assigned to four groups ( n = 10): a control WKY group, a control SHR groups, an SHR group treated with LC40, and an SHR treated with K8/LC9 group for 5 weeks (at a dose of 3.3 × 10 10 colony‐forming units/day in drinking water). Long‐term administration of probiotics reduced systolic blood pressure. The consumption of K8/LC9 mixture significantly reduced the cardiac and renal hypertrophy. Both groups of probiotics reversed the impaired aortic endothelium‐dependent relaxation to acetylcholine observed in SHR. They also abolished the increased aortic superoxide levels by reducing the increased toll‐like receptor‐4 mRNA levels and NADPH oxidase activity found in SHR. K8/LC9 consumption also increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation. Probiotic treatments induced a change in the cecum microbiota of SHR, with higher counts of the Lactobacillus spp. cluster, and lower counts of Bacteriodes spp. and Clostridium spp. Conclusion Probiotics exert cardiovascular protective effects in genetic hypertension related to the improvement of vascular pro‐oxidative and pro‐inflammatory status.