Fig. 4

Synergistic intake of probiotics can improve the intestinal microbiota and metabolite disorders caused by lovastatin intake. A Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA, Bray–Curtis) of gut microbiota from each group of golden hamsters. The p value represented the significance between the two groups (Wilcoxon rank-sum test). B Identification of fecal microbial composition at genus level. C There was a co-significant increase of 16 intestinal microbiota in lovastatin alone compared with lovastatin in combination with probiotics and before lovastatin. The p value represented the significance between the two groups (Wilcoxon rank-sum test). D The Lov group significantly increased the abundance of 16 intestinal microbes compared with other treatment groups. E The three lovastatin synergistic probiotics treatment groups significantly increased five gut microbiota compared with the lovastatin alone treatment group. F The abundance of 5 microbes in the three lovastatin synergistic probiotics treatment groups and lovastatin group increased significantly. G Among the five significantly increased microbiota, three represent the abundance of microbiota (Adlercreutzia equolifaciens, Gordonibacter pamelaeae, and Gordonibacter urolithinfaciens) (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01). H At the last time point (week 12), the quantitative concentration of SCFAs in the intestinal contents of golden hamsters. Significant differences were evaluated by Wilcoxon test (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01)