Oral administration of probiotic Lactobacillus paraplantarum BGCG11 attenuates diabetes-induced liver and kidney damage in rats

•Probiotic Lactobacillus paraplantarum BGCG11 showed decreased hyperglycemia in diabetic rats.•The probiotic treatment adjusted the diabetes-induced redox imbalance in the liver and kidney.•The probiotic treatment reduced the level of DNA damage in liver and kidney of diabetic rats.•Probiotic increased prosurvival Akt kinase activity and decreased pro-caspase 3 degradation.•The probiotic treatment attenuated fibrotic process in the liver and kidneys of diabetic rats. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the probiotic Lactobacillus paraplantarum BGCG11 on the regulatory pathways that underlie the defense responses of the liver and kidney in diabetic rats. Probiotic-treated diabetic rats exhibited decreased hyperglycemia, glycated hemoglobin, triacylglycerols and a reduction in advanced glycation end products of serum proteins. The probiotic treatment adjusted the redox imbalance in the liver and kidney of diabetic rats, reduced the level of DNA damage, increased the activity of the pro-survival Akt kinase, decreased procaspase 3 degradation and lowered the level of inflammatory mediator C/EBPβ. Administration of probiotic to diabetic rats attenuated fibrotic process activated in the liver and kidneys as judged by the increase in E-cadherin and decreases in α-smooth muscle actin and fibronectin. In summary, the probiotic administration had an ameliorating effect on diabetes-associated disturbed redox homeostasis, inflammation and fibrosis, which underline the development of diabetic complications.