In our previous research, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-12 alleviated inflammation in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced mice by regulating intestinal microbiota and preventing colon shortening (p < 0.05). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether L. plantarum-12 could ameliorate the colon cancer symptoms of azoxymethane (AOM)/DSS-treated C57BL/6 mice. The results showed that L. plantarum-12 alleviated colonic shortening (from 7.43 ± 0.15 to 8.23 ± 0.25) and weight loss (from 25.92 ± 0.21 to 27.75 ± 0.88) in AOM/DSS-treated mice. L. plantarum-12 oral administration down-regulated pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α (from 350.41 ± 15.80 to 247.72 ± 21.91), IL-8 (from 322.19 ± 11.83 to 226.08 ± 22.06), and IL-1β (111.43 ± 8.14 to 56.90 ± 2.70) levels and up-regulated anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 (from 126.08 ± 24.92 to 275.89 ± 21.87) level of AOM/DSS-treated mice. L. plantarum-12 oral administration restored the intestinal microbiota dysbiosis of the AOM/DSS treated mice by up-regulating beneficial Muribaculaceae, Lactobacillaceae, and Bifidobacteriaceae levels and down-regulating pathogenic Proteobacteria, Desulfovibrionaceae, and Erysipelotrichaceae levels. As a result, the fecal metabolites of the AOM/DSS-treated mice were altered, including xanthosine, uridine, 3,4-methylenesebacic acid, 3-hydroxytetradecanedioic acid, 4-hydroxyhexanoylglycine, beta-leucine, and glycitein, by L. plantarum-12 oral administration. Furthermore, L. plantarum-12 oral administration significantly ameliorated the colon injury of the AOM/DSS-treated mice by enhancing colonic tight junction protein level and promoting tumor cells death via down-regulating PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and up-regulating pro-apoptotic Bax. (p < 0.05). Taken together, L. plantarum-12 oral administration could ameliorate the colon cancer burden and inflammation of AOM-DSS-treated C57BL/6 mice through regulating the intestinal microbiota, manipulating fecal metabolites, enhancing colon barrier function, and inhibiting NF-κB signaling. These results suggest that L. plantarum-12 might be an excellent probiotic candidate for the prevention of colon cancer.

Exopolysaccharide produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-12 (LPEPS) exhibited the anti-proliferating effect on human colon cancer cell line HT-29 in vitro. The purpose of the study was to determine the alleviating effects of LPEPS on colon cancer development of the C57BL/6 mice treated by azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium salt (AOM/DSS). The C57BL/6 mice treated by AOM/DSS were orally administered LPEPS daily for 85 days. The results showed that LPEPS oral administration enhanced colon tight-junction protein expression and ameliorated colon shortening and tumor burden of the AOM/DSS treated mice. Furthermore, LPEPS oral administration significantly reduced pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-1β levels and increased anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 level in the serum of the AOM/DSS-treated mice. LPEPS oral administration reversed the alterations of gut flora in AOM/DSS-treated mice, as evidenced by the increasing of the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio, Muribaculaceae, Burkholderiaceae, and norank_o__Rhodospirillales and the decreasing of the abundance of Firmicutes, Desulfovibrionaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Helicobacteraceae. The fecal metabolites of the AOM/DSS-treated mice were altered by LPEPS oral administration, involving lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Together, these results suggested that LPEPS oral administration alleviated AOM/DSS-induced colon cancer symptoms of the C57BL/6 mice by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites, enhancing intestine barrier, inhibiting NF-κB pathway, and activating caspase cascade.

The quality, flavor, and functional attributes of fermented foods are intrinsically shaped by the composition and metabolic dynamics of their microbial communities. This systematic review explores the structural organization, successional patterns, and mechanistic roles of these communities in influencing food quality, with a specific focus on core functional groups—including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeasts, and molds—and their interplay through key metabolic pathways. By integrating multi-omics approaches, such as metagenomics and metabolomics, we elucidate the underlying relationships between microbial activity and the formation of volatile flavor compounds, nutritional metabolites, and bioactive substances. These insights offer a scientific basis for the targeted regulation and functional enhancement of fermented food products.

Fermented dairy foods such as yogurt exhibit some beneficial effects on consumers, including relieving the symptoms of hypertension. This study aims to obtain fermented dairy products from a co-starter that have a great flavor and the auxiliary function of reducing blood pressure after longtime consumption. Commercial starter cultures composed of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CICC 6047 and Streptococcus thermophilus CICC 6038 were combined with Lactobacillus plantarum strains Y44, Y12, and Y16, respectively, as a combined starter culture to ferment the mixed milk of skim milk and soybean milk. The fermented milk produced using the combined starter culture mixed with L. plantarum Y44 showed an angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity (53.56 ± 0.69%). Some peptides that regulate blood pressure were released in the fermented milk, such as AMKPWIQPK, GPVRGPFPII, LNVPGEIVE, NIPPLTQTPV, and YQEPVL. In spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) oral-administration experiments compared with the gavage unfermented milk group, the gavage feeding of SHRs with the fermented milk produced using the combined starter culture mixed with L. plantarum Y44 significantly reduced the blood pressure of the SHRs after long-term intragastric administration, shown with the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreasing by 23.67 ± 2.49 mmHg and 15.22 ± 2.62 mmHg, respectively. Moreover, the abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), bacterial diversity in the gut microbiota, and SCFA levels including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid in the feces of the SHRs were increased via oral administration of the fermented milk produced using the combined starter culture containing L. plantarum Y44. Furthermore, the ACE-angiotensin II (Ang II)-angiotensin type 1 (AT 1) axis was downregulated, the angiotensin-converting-enzyme 2 (ACE 2)-angiotensin(1-7) (Ang1-7)-Mas receptor axis of the SHRs was upregulated, and then the RAS signal was rebalanced. The fermented milk obtained from the combined starter culture shows the potential to be a functional food with antihypertension properties.