Transcriptomics reveals the anti-obesity mechanism of Lactobacillus plantarum fermented barley extract.

Fermentation by lactic acid bacteria can improve the nutritional value and biological function of cereal. Our previous studies have confirmed that Lactobacillus plantarum fermented barley extract (LFBE) can alleviate obesity caused by high-fat diet (HFD) in rats, while the precise mechanism remains unclear. Herein, we explored the effect of LFBE on the adipose tissue in obese rats and its mechanism via transcriptomics technology. Results showed that administration of LFBE in obese rats for 8 weeks significantly alleviated weight gain, reduced fasting blood glucose, and inhibited lipid accumulation. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation of adipose tissue found that LFBE held the ability to maintain mitochondria integrity and functionality. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that LFBE increased the expressions of mitochondrial ß-oxidized-related genes, while inhibiting the expressions of fatty acid synthesis-related genes. Furthermore, KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analysis and western blotting studies confirmed that LFBE mainly enhanced the energy consumption of adipocytes through the phosphorylation of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) and the mitochondrial proliferation pathway regulated by peroxisome proliferative activated receptor, gamma, coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1α). Taken together, these findings indicated that LFBE could ameliorate HFD-induced obesity by activating AMPK/PGC1α axis regulated signaling pathways.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum fermented barley extracts ameliorate high-fat-diet-induced muscle dysfunction via mitophagy.

BACKGROUND: A reduced level of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) by skeletal muscle leads to the accumulation of intermuscular fat (IMF), which is linked to impaired exercise capacity. Previously, we have reported that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum fermented barley extract (LFBE) has effective anti-obesity properties. In this study, the effects of LFBE on muscle were investigated. RESULTS: LFBE improved running endurance and muscle strength, which was caused by the elevation of FAO in muscle. In addition, LFBE renovated muscle regeneration through the upregulation of paired box 7 and myogenic differentiation 1 expression avoiding the injury of skeletal muscle fibers. Furthermore, total polyphenol isolated from LFBE (FTP) reinforced mobility and showed a significant protective effect on maintaining muscle fiber morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Transmission electron microscope observation suggested FTP induced mitophagy in C. elegans body wall muscle, which was strongly connected with enhanced FAO in mitochondria. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted the beneficial bioactivities of FTP and its potential application for stimulating mitophagy and muscle function in obese individuals. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 fermented barley extraction activates white adipocyte browning in high-fat diet-induced obese rats.

High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity is caused by the imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Here, we studied the inhibitory effects of aqueous extracts of fermented barley with Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 (LFBE) and beta-glucan (BGL) on the obesity induced by HFD. Both LFBE and BGL significantly decreased body weight, suppressed visceral lipid accumulation, improved blood lipid profile, and glucose tolerance in HFD rats. BGL showed no thermogenic capacity, while LFBE enhanced the expression of Uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP1), and brown-specific mRNA (PRDM16, PGC1-α, and CIDEA) levels in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissues (WAT) of HFD rats. In addition, LFBE increased the expression of key genes involved in mitochondria biosynthesis and the mitochondrial respiration function. Further, we demonstrated that proteins extracted from LFBE (LFBE-P) were responsible for triggering brown markers to some extent. In conclusion, LFBE alleviates HFD-induced obesity by activating thermogenic fat bioenergetics and mitochondria biosynthesis. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Barley is one of the most productive crops with pretty low utilization. Our group committed to exploring the application and nutritional value of barley. This work aimed to explore improvements in nutritional function of barley after fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1. Our study found that oral administration of LFBE help turning white adipose tissue into a thermogenesis state and activate heat generation function of brown adipose tissue. Its characteristics mentioned above significantly inhibited the body weight and blood lipid of high-fat diet rats. Further, we evidenced that LFBE-P were responsible for triggering brown markers in 3T3-L1 cells. We believe our research plays a great part to relieving high-fat diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes with functional diet supplementation.