Symbiotic Supplementation (E. faecium and Agave Inulin) Improves Spatial Memory and Increases Plasticity in the Hippocampus of Obese Rats: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Obesity has been linked to cognitive impairment through systemic low-grade inflammation. High fat and sugar diets (HFSDs) also induce systemic inflammation, either by induced Toll-like receptor 4 response, or by causing dysbiosis. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of symbiotics supplementation on spatial and working memory, butyrate concentration, neurogenesis, and electrophysiological recovery of HFSD-fed rats. In a first experiment, Sprague-Dawley male rats were given HFSD for 10 weeks, after which they were randomized into 2 groups (n = 10 per group): water (control), or Enterococcus faecium + inulin (symbiotic) administration, for 5 weeks. In the fifth week, spatial and working memory was analyzed through the Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Eight-Arm Radial Maze (RAM) tests, respectively, with 1 week apart between tests. At the end of the study, butyrate levels from feces and neurogenesis at hippocampus were determined. In a second experiment with similar characteristics, the hippocampus was extracted to perform electrophysiological studies. Symbiotic-supplemented rats showed a significantly better memory, butyrate concentrations, and neurogenesis. This group also presented an increased firing frequency in hippocampal neurons [and a larger N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)/α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA) current ratio] suggesting an increase in NMDA receptors, which in turn is associated with an enhancement in long-term potentiation and synaptic plasticity. Therefore, our results suggest that symbiotics could restore obesity-related memory impairment and promote synaptic plasticity.