Anti-obesity activity of Lactobacillus fermented soy milk products

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2013.01.040Get rights and content

Abstract

The anti-obesity activity of Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 and Lactobacillus plantarum NTU 102 and their soy milk fermented products (SM101 and SM102) were investigated. Results indicated that the inhibition of 3T3-L1 differentiation and the accumulation of free fatty acids markedly increased in rats treated with SM101 and SM102. Moreover, the up-regulation and down-regulation of lipolysis and heparin-releasable lipoprotein lipase, respectively, were observed in the 3T3-L1 adipocytes of the SM101 and SM101 groups, and these effects of SM101 and SM102 were greater than unfermented soy milk (USM). We also found that SM101 and SM102 both improved obesity in Wistar rats fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) and that this improvement was stronger than that observed for USM. The level of serum leptin in HFD-induced rats was significantly elevated by the 5-week administration of SM101 and SM102 (106–1010 CFU/mL per rat per day); however, this activity was not promoted by USM. The anti-obesity activity of SM101 and SM102 may result from the increased daidzein and genistein levels that were observed during the fermentation by L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 and L. plantarum NTU 102.

Highlights

Daidzein and genistein were increased by lactic acid bacteria fermentation. ► Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101-fermented-soy milk inhibits obese. ► Lactobacillus plantarum NTU 102-fermented-soy milk inhibit obese.

Introduction

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are important members of the normal intestinal microflora and are reported to exert beneficial effects, including inhibition of the growth of potential pathogens, reduction of serum cholesterol, and modulation of the immune system (Tsai, Cheng, Fan, & Pan, 2008). In addition, they are used in the production of industrial chemicals, biological products, and food biopreservatives.

We have already screened two Taiwan native LAB strains: namely Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 and Lactobacillus plantarum NTU 102 (Lin et al., 2004, Pan et al., 2002). We screened faeces and homemade Korean-style cabbage pickles which are resistant to gastric juice and bile salt in the natural environment. They also have “probiotic” characteristics that are effective in reducing cholesterol in the blood and liver (Chiu, Lu, Tseng, & Pan, 2006). After feeding mice with L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101, up-regulation of the antigen-presenting ability of dendritic cells and expression of natural killer group-2 D molecules that trigger NK-cell-mediated cytotoxicity were observed, and lymphocyte proliferation and antibody production were also significantly increased in mice after treatment (Tsai et al., 2008). On the other hand, soy skim milk fermented with L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 and supplemented with or without Momordica charantia was found to be effective in preventing and slowing hyperlipidemia-induced oxidative stress and atherosclerosis (Tsai, Chu, Lee, & Pan, 2009). In addition, L. plantarum NTU 102 was beneficial for gastric mucosal lesions, increased antioxidant enzymes and phenol oxidase activities (Liu et al., 2009) and the immune response to Litopenaeus vannamei (Chiu, Gu, Liu, Pan, & Cheng, 2007). We have also investigated the activities of L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 and L. plantarum NTU 102 on regulating blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (Liu et al., 2011). These studies reveal that both bacterial strains have potential for use in the development of functional fermented foods.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and are characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure. The beneficial effects of the oral administration of Lactobacillus casei on insulin resistance in diet-induced obesity mice has been reported in a recent study (Naito et al., 2011). On the other hand, several studies have reported that soy milk can also prevent obesity in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced animals (Choi et al., 2011, Eller and Deimer, 2010, Pimentel et al., 2012). However, the anti-obesity and hypolipidemic activities of Lactobacillus fermented soy milk in HFD-induced animals remain unknown. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101- and L. plantarum NTU 102-fermented soy milk on the prevention of obese in HFD-induced Wistar rats and to evaluate the activity of fermented products in inhibiting 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Cells 3T3-L1 preadipocyte was purchased from Bioresource Collection and Research Center (BCRC) in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium and faetal bovine serum were purchased from Invitrogen Life Technologies (Carlsbad, CA, USA). Dexamethasone, isobutylmethylxanthine, insulin, oil red O, heparin, crystal violet, and p-nitrophenyl butyrate were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St Louis, MO, USA). Trypan blue stain was purchased from Gibco BRL Life Technologies Inc. (Gaithersburg,

Daidzein and genistein levels in SM101, SM102, and USM

As shown in Table 1, the levels of daidzein and genistein were elevated in the fermented soy milk products SM101 and SM102 after 3 days of fermentation by L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 (1.89 and 1.52 mg/g, respectively) and L. plantarum NTU 102 (1.64 and 1.73 mg/g), respectively, when compared to the levels observed in USM (0.23 and 0.31 mg/g, respectively).

The effects of L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 and L. plantarum NTU 102 with or without soy milk fermentation on 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation

We investigated the effects of LAB, SM101, and SM102 on the proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, no significant inhibition of cell

Discussion

In the body, white adipose tissue is a major site of energy storage and is important for energy homeostasis. This tissue stores energy in the form of triacylglycerols during caloric abundance and releases it as free fatty acids during deprivation (Hsu, Liao, Lee, Hsu, & Pan, 2012). Obesity is responsible for the increasing incidence of metabolic disease. White adipose tissue (WAT) plays a major role in energy storage and is important for energy homeostasis. During times of nutritional

Conclusions

It was demonstrated that SM101 and SM102 in soy-milk both effectively inhibited adipocyte differentiation, up-regulated lipolysis activity, and suppressed HR-LPL activity to decrease free acid accumulation. SM101 and SM102 both improved dyslipidemia and promoted serum leptin levels in HFD-induced rats. These effects may be the result of L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 and L. plantarum NTU 102 converting isoflavones into daidzein and genistein, thereby attenuating HFD-induced obesity.

Author disclosure statement

No competing financial interests exist.

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