BN-202M is derived from humans and consists of two strains, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei BEPC22 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BELP53. Body fat reduction effect and safety of BN-202M were assessed in overweight participants. A total of 150 participants were randomly assigned to the BN-202M and placebo groups at a 1:1 ratio. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to objectively measure body fat. After 12 weeks of oral administration, the body fat percentage (-0.10 ± 1.32% vs. 0.48 ± 1.10%; p = 0.009) and body fat mass (-0.24 ± 1.19 kg vs. 0.23 ± 1.05 kg; p = 0.023) of the BN-202M group decreased significantly compared to those of the placebo group. The body weight (-0.58 kg, p = 0.004) and body mass index (BMI; -0.23, p = 0.003) was found to decrease significantly at 12 weeks in the BN-202M group, but not in the placebo group. Metabolome analysis revealed that β-alanine, 3-aminoisobutyric acid, glutamic acid, and octopamine decreased in the weight-decreased BN-202M post-intake group. In the gut microbiota analysis, Akkermansia showed a statistically significant increase in the BN-202M group post-intake compared to the placebo group. No serious adverse events were observed in either group. These results suggest that BN-202M is safe and effective for reducing body fat and weight.

In this present study, bioinformatics analysis and the experimental validation method were used to systematically explore the antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum A106, which was isolated from traditional Chinese pickles, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. L. plantarum A106 had a good scavenging ability for DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radicals. Furthermore, L. plantarum A106 could increase the activity of RAW264.7 macrophages; raise the SOD and GSH levels, with or without LPS sensitization; or decrease the MDA, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels. In order to deeply seek the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory role and mechanism, bioinformatic analysis, including GO, KEGG, and GSEA analysis, was used to conduct an in-depth analysis, and the results showed that the LPS treatment of RAW264.7 macrophages significantly upregulated inflammatory-related genes and revealed an enrichment in the inflammatory signaling pathways. Additionally, a network analysis via the Cytoscape software (version 3.9.1) identified key central genes and found that LPS also disturbed apoptosis and mitochondrial function. Based on the above bioinformatics analysis, the effects of L. plantarum A106 on inflammation-related gene expression, mitochondrial function, apoptosis, etc., were detected. The results indicated that L. plantarum A106 restored the declined expression levels of crucial genes like TNF-α and IL-6; mitochondrial membrane potential; and apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-related genes, Bcl-2, Caspase-3, and Bax. These results suggest that L. plantarum A106 exerts antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects through regulating inflammatory and apoptosis-related gene expression, restoring the mitochondrial membrane potential.

Inflammation is a biodefense mechanism that provides protection against painful conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, other gastrointestinal problems, and irritable bowel syndrome. Paraprobiotics have probiotic characteristics of intestinal modulation along with merits of safety and stability. In this study, heat-killed Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KU15122 (KU15122) was investigated for its anti-inflammatory properties. KU15122 was subjected to heat-killed treatment for enhancement of its safety, and its concentration was set at 8 log CFU/mL for conducting different experiments. Nitric oxide production was most remarkably reduced in the KU15122 group, whereas it was increased in the LPS-treated group. In RAW 264.7 cells, KU15122 inhibited the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. ELISA revealed that among the tested strains, KU15122 exhibited the most significant reduction in PGE2, IL-1β, and IL-6. Moreover, KU15122 inhibited various factors involved in the nuclear factor-kappa B, activator protein-1, and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. In addition, KU15122 reduced the generation of reactive oxygen species. The anti-inflammatory effect of KU15122 was likely attributable to the bacterial exopolysaccharides. Conclusively, KU15122 exhibits anti-inflammatory potential against inflammatory diseases.

Effectively managing foodborne pathogens is imperative in food processing, where probiotics play a crucial role in pathogen control. This study focuses on the Lactiplantibacillus plantarum AR113 and its gene knockout strains, exploring their antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrobial assays revealed that the inhibitory effect of AR113 increases with its growth and the potential bacteriostatic substance is acidic. AR113Δldh, surpassed AR113Δ0273&2024, exhibited a complete absence of bacteriostatic properties, which indicates that lactic acid is more essential than acetic acid in the bacteriostatic effect of AR113. However, the exogenous acid validation test affirmed the equivalent superior bacteriostatic effect of lactic acid and acetic acid. Notably, AR113 has high lactate production and deletion of the ldh gene not only lacks lactate production but also affects acetic production. This underscores the ldh gene\'s pivotal role in the antimicrobial activity of AR113. In addition, among all the selected knockout strains, AR113ΔtagO and ΔccpA also had lower antimicrobial effects, suggesting the importance of tagO and ccpA genes of AR113 in pathogen control. This study contributes insights into the antimicrobial potential of AR113 and stands as the pioneering effort to use knockout strains for comprehensive bacteriostatic investigations.

Sterigmatocystin (STC) is an emerging mycotoxin that poses a significant threat to the food security of cereal crops. To mitigate STC contamination in maize, this study employed selected lactic acid bacteria as biocontrol agents against Aspergillus versicolor, evaluating their biocontrol potential and analyzing the underlying mechanisms. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HJ10, isolated from pickle, exhibited substantial in vitro antifungal activity and passed safety assessments, including antibiotic resistance and hemolysis tests. In vivo experiments demonstrated that L. plantarum HJ10 significantly reduced the contents of A. versicolor and STC in maize (both >84 %). The impact of heat, enzymes, alkali, and other treatments on the antifungal activity of cell-free supernatant (CFS) was investigated. Integrated ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that lactic acid, acetic acid, and formic acid are the key substances responsible for the in vitro antifungal activity of L. plantarum HJ10. These metabolites induced mold apoptosis by disrupting cell wall structure, increasing cell membrane fluidity, reducing enzyme activities, and disrupting energy metabolism. However, in vivo antagonism by L. plantarum HJ10 primarily occurs through organic acid production and competition for growth space and nutrients. This study highlights the potential of L. plantarum HJ10 in reducing A. versicolor and STC contamination in maize.

This study evaluates the suitability of three lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains-Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Apilactobacillus kunkeei-for use as probiotics in apiculture. Given the decline in bee populations due to pathogens and environmental stressors, sustainable alternatives to conventional treatments are necessary. This study aimed to assess the potential of these LAB strains in a probiotic formulation for bees through various in vitro tests, including co-culture interactions, biofilm formation, auto-aggregation, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, antibiotic susceptibility, and resistance to high osmotic concentrations. This study aimed to assess both the individual effects of the strains and their combined effects, referred to as the LAB mix. Results indicated no mutual antagonistic activity among the LAB strains, demonstrating their compatibility with multi-strain probiotic formulations. The LAB strains showed significant survival rates under high osmotic stress and simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The LAB mix displayed enhanced biofilm formation, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial efficacy against different bacterial strains. These findings suggest that a probiotic formulation containing these LAB strains could be used for a probiotic formulation, offering a promising approach to mitigating the negative effects of pathogens. Future research should focus on in vivo studies to validate the efficacy of these probiotic bacteria in improving bee health.

Given the recognized involvement of the gut microbiome in the development of obesity, considerable efforts are being made to discover probiotics capable of preventing and managing obesity. In this study, we report the discovery of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GBCC_F0227, isolated from fermented food, which exhibited superior triglyceride catabolism efficacy compared to L. plantarum WCSF1. Molecular analysis showed elevated expression levels of α/β hydrolases with lipase activity (abH04, abH08_1, abH08_2, abH11_1, and abH11_2) in L. plantarum GBCC_F0227 compared to L. plantarum WCFS1, demonstrating its enhanced lipolytic activity. In a high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced mouse obesity model, the administration of L. plantarum GBCC_F0227 mitigated weight gain, reduced blood triglycerides, and diminished fat mass. Furthermore, L. plantarum GBCC_F0227 upregulated adiponectin gene expression in adipose tissue, indicative of favorable metabolic modulation, and showed robust growth and low cytotoxicity, underscoring its industrial viability. Therefore, our findings encourage the further investigation of L. plantarum GBCC_F0227\'s therapeutic applications for the prevention and treatment of obesity and associated metabolic diseases.

Brassica campestris (syn. Brassica rapa) is often known as mustard and is grown worldwide owing to its health-promoting characteristics associated with the presence of nutrients and phytochemicals. Along with the nutritional components, B. campestris also contains anti-nutrients (phytates, oxalates, tannins, alkaloids, saponins) that can cause adverse severe health effects to consumers, including rashes, nausea, headaches, bloating and nutritional deficiencies. In the present study, heating (blanching) and fermentation (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum) treatments were applied to reduce the load of the anti-nutrients of B. campestris leaves harvested at three different growth stages: the first stage (fourth week), the second stage (sixth week) and the third stage (eighth week). Results revealed that fermentation treatment using Lp. plantarum increases the ash (5.4 to 6%), protein (9 to 10.4%) and fiber (9.6 to 10.7%) contents, whereas moisture (0.91 to 0.82%), fat (9.9 to 9.1%) and carbohydrate (64.5 to 64.2%) contents decreased among B. campestris samples, and the trend was similar for all three stages. Blanching and fermentation lead to the reduction in phytates (46, 42%), saponins (34, 49%), tannins (1, 10%), oxalates (15, 7%) and alkaloids (10, 6%), separately as compared to raw samples of B. campestris leaves. In contrast, fermentation had no considerable effect on phytochemical contents (total phenolic and total flavonoids) and antioxidant potential (DPPH and FRAP). The action of blanching followed by fermentation caused more decline in the aforementioned toxicants load as compared to blanching or fermentation alone. Structural modifications in blanching and the biochemical conversions in fermentation lead to enhanced stability of nutrients and antioxidant potential. Taken together, these findings suggest blanching followed by fermentation treatments as a reliable, cost-effective and safer approach to curtail the anti-nutrient load without affecting the proximate composition, phytochemical attributes and antioxidant activity.

Lowing blood lipid levels with probiotics has good application prospects. This study aimed to isolate probiotics with hypolipidemic efficacy from homemade na dish and investigate their mechanism of action. In vitro experiments were conducted to determine the cholesterol-lowering ability of five isolates, with results showing that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum N4 exhibited a high cholesterol-lowering rate of 50.27% and significant resistance to acid (87%), bile salt (51.97%), and pepsin (88.28%) in simulated gastrointestinal fluids, indicating promising application prospects for the use of probiotics in lowering blood lipids. The findings from the in vivo experiment demonstrated that the administration of N4 effectively attenuated lipid droplet accumulation and inflammatory cell infiltration in the body weight and liver of hyperlipidemic rats, leading to restoration of liver tissue morphology and structure, as well as improvement in lipid and liver biochemical parameters. 16S analysis indicated that the oral administration of N4 led to significant alterations in the relative abundance of various genera, including Sutterella, Bacteroides, Clostridium, and Ruminococcus, in the gut microbiota of hyperlipidemia rats. Additionally, fecal metabolomic analysis identified a total of 78 metabolites following N4 intervention, with carboxylic acids and their derivatives being the predominant compounds detected. The transcriptomic analysis revealed 156 genes with differential expression following N4 intervention, leading to the identification of 171 metabolic pathways through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. Notably, the glutathione metabolism pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, and bile secretion pathway emerged as the primary enrichment pathways. The findings from a comprehensive multi-omics analysis indicate that N4 influences lipid metabolism and diminishes lipid levels in hyperlipidemic rats through modulation of fumaric acid and γ-aminobutyric acid concentrations, as well as glutathione and other metabolic pathways in the intestinal tract, derived from both the gut microbiota and the host liver. This research offers valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of probiotics for managing lipid metabolism disorders and their utilization in the development of functional foods.

UNASSIGNED: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) and propionic acid (PA) on fermentation characteristics and microbial community of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriaus) silage with different moisture contents.
UNASSIGNED: Amaranth was harvested at maturity stage and prepared for ensiling. There were two moisture content gradients (80%: AhG, 70%: AhS; fresh material: FM) and three treatments (control: CK, L. plantarum: LP, propionic acid: PA) set up, and silages were opened after 60 d of ensiling.
UNASSIGNED: The results showed that the addition of L. plantarum and PA increased lactic acid (LA) content and decreased pH of amaranth after fermentation. In particular, the addition of PA significantly increased crude protein content (p < 0.05). LA content was higher in wilted silage than in high-moisture silage, and it was higher with the addition of L. plantarum and PA (p < 0.05). The dominant species of AhGLP, AhSCK, AhSLP and AhSPA were mainly L. plantarum, Lentilactobacillus buchneri and Levilactobacillus brevis. The dominant species in AhGCK include Enterobacter cloacae, and Xanthomonas oryzae was dominated in AhGPA, which affected fermentation quality. L. plantarum and PA acted synergistically after ensiling to accelerate the succession of dominant species from gram-negative to gram-positive bacteria, forming a symbiotic microbial network centred on lactic acid bacteria. Both wilting and additive silage preparation methods increased the degree of dominance of global and overview maps and carbohydrate metabolism, and decreased the degree of dominance of amino acid metabolism categories.
UNASSIGNED: In conclusion, the addition of L. plantarum to silage can effectively improve the fermentation characteristics of amaranth, increase the diversity of bacterial communities, and regulate the microbial community and its functional metabolic pathways to achieve the desired fermentation effect.