This study aimed to investigate the effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SCS4 in alleviating oxidative stress in the pancreatic tissue of hyperglycemic mice. A total of 90 six-week-old specific pathogen-free male Kunming mice were randomly divided into six groups [normal group (NG), blank control group (MG), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) control group (CG), SCS4 first control group (DT1), SCS4 second control group (DT2), and SCS4 third control group (DT3)]. Except the NG group, in the other five groups, streptozotocin (STZ) was intraperitoneally injected for five consecutive days to establish a hyperglycemia model; the concentration of STZ was 50 mg/kg (bw). After successful modeling, DT1, DT2, and DT3 mice were administered 0.2 ml of L. plantarum SCS4 bacterial solution (10¹⁰ colony forming unit/ml), the cellular content of L. plantarum SCS4, and the inactivated cellular content of L. plantarum SCS4, respectively. Furthermore, 0.2 ml of PBS was given to mice in the CG group for control. The levels of insulin (INS), reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the morphology of the pancreas was observed. The results showed that after 10 weeks of gavage treatment, the level of INS in the DT3 group significantly increased to 6.36 mIU/L compared with that in the MG group (p < .05). Meanwhile, the levels of ROS and MDA of DT3 returned to normal levels of 291.07 IU/ml and 4.29 mnol/L, respectively. The activities of various antioxidant enzymes increased. The levels of SOD, CAT, and GPx in DT3 were the closest to the levels in NG. In addition, the pathological sections showed that the degree of pancreatic tissue lesions was relatively more severe in the MG group than in the NG group. The degree of pancreatic tissue lesions was relatively less severe in the DT2 group than in the MG group, and no significant lesion was seen in the DT3 group. Our results indicated that the inactivated bacterial content of L. planetarium SCS4 was more effective in improving oxidative stress in the pancreas of hyperglycemic mice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: L. plantarum SCS4 was separated from fermented sausage in Sichuan. This study indicated that inactivated bacterial content of L. planetarium SCS4 was more effective in improving oxidative stress in the pancreas of hyperglycemic mice. The results suggested that lactic acid bacteria from traditional foods with ability of improving oxidative damage, which can be applied in food nutrition and related fields to make people with good dietary habits and prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases such as type II diabetes effectively.

Background/Objectives: Styphnolobium japonicum cv. Jinhuai (SJvJ) represents a medicinal and edible plant whose metabolite composition is strongly shaped by its growing location. Current quality control methods mainly rely on rutin quantification, lacking comprehensive metabolic markers for origin discrimination. Therefore, this study aimed to profile interregional metabolic differences between Guangxi and Sichuan SJvJ flower buds, identify characteristic differential markers, and clarify relevant metabolic pathways, thereby guiding quality control, germplasm evaluation, and functional food development. Methods: Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was employed to identify metabolites. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and Cancer HSP were applied to screen the key active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM-KAIs) and disease-related pharmaceutical ingredients (PDRIs). Specifically, we targeted six highly prevalent human diseases and another five disorders based on therapeutic indications documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Multivariate analyses, such as principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, and other statistical methods, were applied to investigate differential metabolites. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database was utilized for pathway enrichment analysis of marker metabolites. Results: In total, 1550 metabolites were identified across 12 categories, predominantly flavonoids. Additionally, 152 TCM-KAIs and 204 PDRIs against 11 diseases were screened. Multivariate analyses indicated that geographical origin was closely associated with observed metabolic variation among the tested samples: Guangxi samples accumulated higher lipids and nucleotides, whereas Sichuan samples showed higher levels of flavonoids and phenolic acids. Vanilloloside, protocatechuic acid-4-O-glucoside, and gallic acid-4-O-glucoside were identified as key inter-group biomarkers. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed enhanced metabolism of nucleotide/pyrimidine in Guangxi, whereas zeatin biosynthesis was upregulated in Sichuan, consistent with discrepancies in regional climatic patterns. Conclusions: This study established a more comprehensive metabolomic dataset for FBSJvJ. It also clarified the correlations between origin and quality and unraveled the underlying mechanisms. These findings facilitate origin authentication, standardized quality control, and rational exploitation of FBSJvJ as raw materials of functional foods.