Sichuan pickle is a traditional fermented food in China which is produced by the spontaneous fermentation of Chinese cabbage. In this study, the anti-obesity effects of a new lactic acid bacterium (Lactobacillus fermentum CQPC05, LF-CQPC05) isolated from Sichuan pickles were assessed in vivo. An obese animal model was established in mice by inducing obesity with high-fat diet. Both serum and tissues were collected from the mice, and then subjected to qPCR and Western blot analyses. The results showed that LF-CQPC05 could decrease the values of hepatosomatic, epididymal fat, and perirenal fat indices that were induced by a high-fat diet in mice. Moreover, LF-CQPC05 reduced the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and increased the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in both serum samples and liver tissues of obese mice fed with a high-fat diet. Pathological observations demonstrated that LF-CQPC05 could alleviate the obesity-induced pathological changes in the liver tissue of mice, and reduce the degree of adipocyte enlargement. The results of qPCR and Western blot analyses further indicated that LF-CQPC05 upregulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), PPAR-α: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-α), (cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase) CYP7A1, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1A), and downregulated the expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBP-α) in both liver tissue and epididymal adipose tissue. Taken altogether, this study reveals that LF-CQPC05 can effectively inhibit high-fat diet-induced obesity. Its anti-obesity effect is comparable to that of l-carnitine, and is superior to that of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, a common strain used in the dairy industry. Therefore, LF-CQPC05 is a high-quality microbial strain with probiotic potential.

Anji white tea is a unique variety of green tea that is rich in polyphenols. In this study, the effect of Anji white tea polyphenols (AJWTP) on the prevention of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver injury through its antioxidant properties was studied. Biochemical and molecular biology methods were used to analyze the serum and liver tissue of mice. The antioxidant capacity and liver injury preventive effect of AJWTP were determined, and the mechanism was elaborated. The results showed that AJWTP decreased the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) in mice with liver injury, it increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the serum and liver tissue of mice with liver injury, and it also decreased the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA). Further quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results showed that AJWTP upregulated the mRNA expression of Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, catalase (CAT), and nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cell inhibitor alpha (IκB-α) and downregulated the expression of nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B-cells (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in the liver tissue of mice with liver injury. Therefore, AJWTP produces sufficient antioxidant action to prevent liver injury, and the effect increases with the increase in AJWTP concentration. The effect of 200 mg/kg AJWTP was similar to that of the same concentration of the drug (silymarin) used for the treatment of liver injury. This indicates excellent potential for the development and utilization of AJWTP because it is an active substance with excellent antioxidant effects and can prevent liver injury.

Chinese pickled cabbage is a traditional fermented food that contains abundant microbes produced during the process of fermentation. In this work, an in vivo animal study was conducted to investigate the effects of a newly isolated lactic acid bacterium (Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC11, LP-CQPC11) on d-galactose-induced oxidation and aging in mice. Analysis of the serum and tissue samples of these mice using molecular biology approaches showed that LP-CQPC11 suppressed the decrease in thymus, brain, heart, liver, spleen, and kidney indices caused by oxidation and aging. Furthermore, LP-CQPC11 increased the levels of SOD (superoxide dismutase), GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase), and GSH (glutathione), whereas it reduced the levels of NO (nitric oxide) and MDA (malondialdehyde) in the serum, liver, and spleen of oxidation and aging mouse models. Pathological observation indicated that LP-CQPC11 alleviated the damage caused by oxidation and aging on the liver and spleen of mice. qPCR analysis indicated that LP-CQPC11 effectively upregulated the expression of nNOS (neuronal nitric oxide synthase), eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase), Cu/Zn-SOD (cuprozinc-superoxide dismutase), Mn-SOD (manganese superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), HO-1 (heme oxygenase-1), Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2), γ-GCS (γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase), and NQO1 (NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1), but downregulated the expression of iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) in the mouse liver and spleen. Western blot analysis showed that LP-CQPC11 effectively upregulated SOD1 (Cu/Zn-SOD), SOD2 (Mn-SOD), CAT, GSH1 (c-glutamylcysteine synthetase), and GSH2 (glutathione synthetase) protein expression in mouse liver and spleen tissues. These findings suggest that LP-CQPC11 can effectively prevent d-galactose-induced oxidation and aging in mice, and the effect is even better than that of the commonly used Lactobacillus delbruechii subsp. bulgaricus (LDSB) and vitamin C in the industry. Thus, LP-CQPC11 may be potentially employed as a probiotic strain.

Lotus plumule is a traditional Chinese food that can be used as a beverage. In this study, three kinds of Lotus plumules from different regions of China were selected to observe the preventive effects of extracted alkaloids on CCl₄-induced liver injuries. Animal experiments revealed that alkaloids extracted from Lotus plumules decreased the serum AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), and TBIL (total bilirubin) levels, enhanced SOD (superoxide dismutase) activity, and reduced MDA (malondialdehyde) level in the liver tissues of mice with liver injury. H&E observation confirmed that alkaloids from Lotus plumules could alleviate CCl₄-induced injuries of liver tissues and inhibit the inflammatory effect on hepatocytes. Further qPCR experiments also demonstrated that alkaloids from Lotus plumules upregulated the expression of IκB-α (inhibitor of NF-κB alpha), Cu/Zn-SOD (copper/zinc superoxide dismutase), Mn-SOD (manganese superoxide dismutase), and CAT (catalase) mRNA and downregulated TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor alpha) and NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa B) expression in the liver tissues of mice with liver injury. All three kinds of alkaloids from Lotus plumules could prevent CCl₄-induced liver injuries by regulating the levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in mice, and the therapeutic effect was comparable to that of silymarin, the medicine commonly used in the treatment of liver diseases. In summary, alkaloids from Lotus plumules contain bioactive substances with hepatic protective efficacy and possess potential application value in the field of functional food.

Yak yogurt is a type of naturally fermented dairy product prepared by herdsmen in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is rich in microorganisms. In this study, a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum was isolated and identified from yak yogurt in Hongyuan, Sichuan Province and named Lactobacillus plantarum HFY05 (LP-HFY05). LP-HFY05 was compared with a common commercial strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (LDSB). LP-HFY05 showed better anti-artificial gastric acid and bile salt effects than LDSB in in vitro experiments, indicating its potential as a probiotic. In animal experiments, long-term alcohol gavage induced alcoholic liver injury. LP-HFY05 effectively reduced the liver index of mice with liver injury, downregulated the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood urea nitrogen, nitric oxide, and MDA and upregulated the levels of albumin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase in the serum of liver-injured mice. LP-HFY05 also reduced the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon-gamma in the serum of liver-injured mice. The pathological observations showed that LP-HFY05 reduced the damage to liver cells caused by alcohol. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays further showed that LP-HFY05 upregulated neuronal nitric oxide synthase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, manganese-SOD, cuprozinc-SOD, CAT, and inhibitor of κB-α mRNA and protein expression and downregulated the expression of nuclear factor-κB-p65 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the livers of liver-injured mice. A fecal analysis revealed that LP-HFY05 regulated the microbial content in the intestinal tract of mice with liver injury, increased the content of beneficial bacteria, including Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus and reduced the content of harmful bacteria, including Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae, thus, regulating intestinal microorganisms to protect against liver injury. The effect of LP-HFY05 on liver-injured mice was better than that of LDSB, and the effect was similar to that of silymarin. LP-HFY05 is a high-quality microbial strain with a liver protective effect on experimental mice with alcoholic liver injury.

We determined the lipid-lowering effect of a new strain of the lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC02 (LP-CQPC02), from Sichuan pickled cabbages, using an in vivo animal model. A high-fat diet was used to generate obese mice. The effect of LP-CQPC02 was measured using serum parameters and tissues collected from the mice. Obese mice treated with LP-CQPC02 had a lower organ index for liver, epididymal fat, and perirenal fat, and lower levels of aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) but higher levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the serum and liver. LP-CQPC02-treated obese mice also had lower serum levels of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), and higher levels of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 10 (IL-10). LP-CQPC02 treatment lessened the obesity-associated pathological changes in the liver and epididymal adipose tissue and reduced adipocyte enlargement. The quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot results showed that LP-CQPC02 treatment up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-α), cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), but down-regulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBP-α) expression in the liver and epididymal adipose tissue. LP-CQPC02 effectively inhibited high-fat diet-induced obesity. The effects of LP-CQPC02 are comparable to the drug l-carnitine but superior to Lactobacillus delbruechii subsp. bulgaricus (LDSB), which is commonly used in the dairy industry. LP-CQPC02 is a potentially useful, high-quality probiotic strain.