Metformin and Probiotics Interplay in Amelioration of Ethanol-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response in an In Vitro and In Vivo Model of Hepatic Injury

Figure 2

HepG2 cells were treated with probiotic V and Met alone or together as probiotic V and Met treatment in the presence of ethanol for 48 h. Microscopic images of HepG2 cells treated with (a) control, (b) 100 mM ethanol control, (c) 100 mM ethanol+10 μl/ml probiotic V, (d) 100 mM ethanol+1 mM Met, and (e) 100 mM ethanol+10 μl/ml probiotic V and 1 mM Met combination. The above figures are illustrative 10x objective images of three individual experiments. The control cells were well adhered to the surface of the cultured cells and displayed the normal epithelial morphology of HepG2 cells. In contrast, the majority of HepG2 cells treated with ethanol changed their normal shape and became round and shrunken and could not remain affixed to the walls of the culture plate. Co-administration of probiotic V and Met was more effective in preventing these morphological changes in HepG2 cells as compared to the individual treatment of either probiotic V and Met.

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