A selenium-enriched diet helps to recover liver function after antibiotic administration in mice

Antibiotic (Abx) treatments or inadvertent exposure to Abx-contaminated food and water can adversely affect health. Many studies show strong correlations between Abx and liver damage pointing to gut dysbiosis as a contributing factor because the gut microbiota (GM) forms a complex network with liver. Selenium (Se) is a beneficial micronutrient able to shape the composition of the GM. We analyzed here the ability of a low dose (120 μg/kg bodyweight/day) Se-enriched diet to ameliorate the effects of a 7-day intervention with an Abx-cocktail over the global health and the homeostasis of cholesterol and bile acids in the mouse liver. We found that Se restored lipid metabolism preventing the increased synthesis and accumulation of cholesterol caused by Abx treatment. Integrating these results with previous metataxonomic and metabolomic data in same mice, we conclude that part of the effect of Se against liver dysfunction (cholesterol and bile acids metabolism and transport) could be mediated by the GM. We provide data that contribute to a more complete view of the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial action of Se on health, pointing to a possible use of low doses of Se as a functional food additive (prebiotic) to prevent the negative effects of antibiotics.