Yak milk protects against alcohol-induced liver injury in rats†

Abstract

The protective effects of yak milk (YM) against chronic alcoholic liver injury in rats were investigated in this study. Histologic and biochemical analyses demonstrated that YM consumption ameliorates alcohol-induced liver injury by increasing the liver antioxidant enzyme activity and reducing inflammation. Furthermore, microbiome and metabolomic analyses exploring YM's impact on gut microbiota and metabolism found that YM administration regulates gut microbiota composition. Specifically, there was a decrease in the relative abundance of Helicobacter, Streptococcus, Peptococcus and Tyzzerella, along with an increase in Turisibacter and Intestinimonas. Moreover, Pearson analysis indicated positive correlations between Peptococcus and Tyzzerella with ALT and AST levels, while showing a negative correlation with ADH levels. Furthermore, differential metabolite analysis of fecal samples from the YM group identified significant increases in the taurine (2-Aminoethanesulfonic acid), hypotaurine (2-Aminoethanesulfonic Acid) and isethionic acid levels. Finally, KEGG topology analysis highlighted taurine and hypotaurine metabolism as the primary pathways influenced by YM intervention. Therefore, these findings collectively suggest that YM may protect alcohol-exposed rats against liver injury by modulating oxidative stress, inflammatory response, gut microbiota disorder, and metabolic regulation.