Anti-aging effects of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PS117 on cognitive and intestinal health in naturally-aged mice: A focus on senescence-related proteins and microbiota composition.

The rising global aging population underscores the urgency of maintaining the health and well-being of the elderly while reducing the healthcare burden. Anti-aging probiotics have emerged as a promising strategy. This study identified a novel anti-senescence probiotic, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PS117 (PS117). The effects of PS117 and heat-treated PS117 (HT-PS117) supplementation on cognitive function of naturally-aged male mice were investigated. It was found that PS117 supplementation improved the cognitive performance of aged mice in the Y-maze test. Furthermore, the level of senescence-related protein p16INK4a (p16) were reduced, while anti-senescence protein sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) were increased in the hippocampus. In addition, there was an overall improvement in the intestinal function. Distinct changes in the gut microbiota were also identified, suggesting a potential contribution to the beneficial effects of PS117 supplementation. In conclusion, these results suggest that PS117 supplements could improve cognitive and intestinal functions in naturally-aged mice, while HT-117 improves only intestinal function, possibly by improving the gut microbiota composition.

Exopolysaccharide is the potential effector of Lactobacillus fermentum PS150, a hypnotic psychobiotic strain.

Psychobiotics are a class of probiotics that confer beneficial effects on the mental health of the host. We have previously reported hypnotic effects of a psychobiotic strain, Lactobacillus fermentum PS150 (PS150), which significantly shortens sleep latency in experimental mice, and effectively ameliorate sleep disturbances caused by either caffeine consumption or a novel environment. In the present study, we discovered a L. fermentum strain, GR1009, isolated from the same source of PS150, and found that GR1009 is phenotypically distinct but genetically similar to PS150. Compared with PS150, GR1009 have no significant hypnotic effects in the pentobarbital-induced sleep test in mice. In addition, we found that heat-killed PS150 exhibited hypnotic effects and altered the gut microbiota in a manner similar to live bacteria, suggesting that a heat-stable effector, such as exopolysaccharide (EPS), could be responsible for these effects. Our comparative genomics analysis also revealed distinct genetic characteristics in EPS biosynthesis between GR1009 and PS150. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy imaging showed a sheet-like EPS structure in PS150, while GR1009 displayed no apparent EPS structure. Using the phenol-sulfate assay, we found that the sugar content value of the crude extract containing EPS (C-EPS) from PS150 was approximately five times higher than that of GR1009, indicating that GR1009 has a lower EPS production activity than PS150. Through the pentobarbital-induced sleep test, we confirmed the hypnotic effects of the C-EPS isolated from PS150, as evidenced by a significant reduction in sleep latency and recovery time following oral administration in mice. In summary, we utilized a comparative approach to delineate differences between PS150 and GR1009 and proposed that EPS may serve as a key factor that mediates the observed hypnotic effect.