Anti-Obesity Effect of Probiotic Carrot Nectar Incorporated with L. Plantarum MCC5231

Obesity is a major risk factor for diseases like cardiovascular issues, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and NAFLD. Timely detection
and treatment of obesity related symptoms such as high BMI, dyslipidemia and organ dysfunction can significantly
reduce these risks. In this study, we investigated the improved anti-obesity potential of probiotic carrot nectar incorporated
with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum (L. plantarum) MCC5231 in comparison to L. plantarum only or carrot
nectar only effect. The results showed that the probiotic treatment of high fat fed (HFD) mice led to a gut microbiota
modulation by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, particularly probiotic L. plantarum. The probiotic treated
groups consisted of 7.6 log CFU/mL of L. plantarum compared to 4.01 log CFU/mL in high fat diet fed control (HFD)
group. Additionally, treatment with the probiotic product (PP) reduced the total cholesterol by 24.6% in comparison to
the HFD group. This reduction was 6.1% higher in comparison to the group fed directly with L. plantarum cells (LP). In
contrast, the HDL/LDL ratios of HFD, LP and PP groups were observed as 0.42, 0.63 and 0.8, respectively, indicating a
more favorable serum lipoprotein balance in probiotic treated groups. Concurrently, mice fed with probiotic carrot nectar
exhibited a higher reduction in BMI (3.05 kg/m²) compared to those fed solely with probiotic bacteria (3.29 kg/m²), while
the HFD group displayed a BMI of 3.7 kg/m. Histopathological examination of liver and adipose tissue, using H&E and
Oil Red staining, supported these findings, by showing diminished fat deposition in probiotic-treated groups. Immunoblotting
analysis of obesity-associated markers indicated changes in proteins expression levels of obesity associated markers
such as leptin, adiponectin, and PPAR-γ in adipose tissue, and LDLR, PCSK9, and SREBP in the liver. Collectively, these
findings suggest that L. plantarum MCC5231-incorporated carrot nectar may exert enhanced effects in regulating lipid
metabolism and reducing fat accumulation in HFD-induced obese mice