Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FXJKS21M3 alleviates polycystic ovary syndrome by modulating gut microbiota, serum metabolome and facilitating progestational hormone biosynthesis

The abundance of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum species was found to be decreased in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients, indicating this species may play a superior role in PCOS treatment. Here, the potential of six Lp. plantarum strains in reducing PCOS symptoms was assessed in a rat model. Lp. plantarum FXJKS21M3 (F21M3) intervention alleviated abnormal ovarian morphology and restored progesterone and luteinizing hormone levels in rats. Butyrate was not involved in this curative effect on PCOS symptoms. Dysbiosis of specific gut microbes, including Prevotellaceae_Ga6A1_group, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and ASF356, was restored by Lp. plantarum F21M3 intervention. Enrichment of Bifidobacterium was also observed in Lp. plantarum F21M3-treated rats. The impact of Lp. plantarum F21M3 on the serum metabolome was more remarkable than that on the fecal metabolome. According to enrichment analysis of differential metabolites, the progestational hormone biosynthesis pathway was enriched after Lp. plantarum F21M3 administration. These results demonstrated that Lp. plantarum species may alleviate PCOS symptoms by regulating gut microbiota and facilitating progestational hormone biosynthesis.