Institute of Bioscience & Integrative Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Se-Myung University, Jecheon-si, Republic of Korea.
FASEB J. 2024 May 31;38(10):e23669. doi: 10.1096/fj.202400552R.
Amomum xanthioides (AX) has been used as an edible herbal medicine to treat digestive system disorders in Asia. Additionally, Lactobacillus casei is a well-known probiotic commonly used in fermentation processes as a starter. The current study aimed to investigate the potential of Lactobacillus casei-fermented Amomum xanthioides (LAX) in alleviating metabolic disorders induced by high-fat diet (HFD) in a mouse model. LAX significantly reduced the body and fat weight, outperforming AX, yet without suppressing appetite. LAX also markedly ameliorated excessive lipid accumulation and reduced inflammatory cytokine (IL-6) levels in serum superior to AX in association with UCP1 activation and adiponectin elevation. Furthermore, LAX noticeably improved the levels of fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, and HOMA-IR through positive regulation of glucose transporters (GLUT2, GLUT4), and insulin receptor gene expression. In conclusion, the fermentation of AX demonstrates a pronounced mitigation of overnutrition-induced metabolic dysfunction, including hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and obesity, compared to non-fermented AX. Consequently, we proposed that the fermentation of AX holds promise as a potential candidate for effectively ameliorating metabolic disorders.
草果（AX）已被用作一种药食同源的草药，用于治疗亚洲消化系统疾病。此外，干酪乳杆菌是一种众所周知的益生菌，常用于发酵过程中作为起始菌。本研究旨在探讨干酪乳杆菌发酵草果（LAX）在高脂肪饮食（HFD）诱导的小鼠代谢紊乱模型中的潜在作用。LAX 显著降低了体重和脂肪重量，优于 AX，且没有抑制食欲。LAX 还明显改善了过量脂质积累，并降低了血清中炎症细胞因子（IL-6）水平，与 UCP1 激活和脂联素升高有关。此外，LAX 通过对葡萄糖转运体（GLUT2、GLUT4）和胰岛素受体基因表达的正向调节，显著改善了空腹血糖、血清胰岛素和 HOMA-IR 水平。综上所述，与非发酵的 AX 相比，AX 的发酵明显减轻了由营养过剩引起的代谢功能障碍，包括高脂血症、高血糖症、高胰岛素血症和肥胖症。因此，我们提出，AX 的发酵有望成为有效改善代谢紊乱的潜在候选物。
