Obesity, a major global health issue, is increasingly associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis and chronic inflammation. Probiotics and their derivatives have emerged as promising modulators of metabolic health. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of Bifidobacterium adolescentis XA-1069 and Lactobacillus plantarum XA-6827, isolated from healthy human fecal samples, administered in either live or heat-inactivated form in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. The live combination (BA+LP) significantly reduced body weight gain, adiposity, and serum lipid levels, outperforming single strains. The heat-inactivated formulation (h-kBA+LP) yielded moderate phenotypic benefits but more prominently altered gut microbiota composition, notably increasing Akkermansia. Both formulations downregulated pro-inflammatory and lipogenic gene expression. Metabolomic analysis revealed reduced deoxycholic acid and increased beneficial lipid-related metabolites, contributing to improved metabolic profiles. These findings support the complementary roles of v iable and non-viable probiotics in obesity management and highlight the potential of postbiotics as functional metabolic modulators.

Chicory, a widely present plant with both edible and medicinal properties, has been found to alleviate intestinal inflammation partially through the enhancement of intestinal barrier and alteration of microbiota composition. Within all the bioactive compounds in chicory, organic acids, mainly including chicoric acid, chlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid, are the most researched ones which show significantly protective benefits on gut health. While chicory-derived hydroxycinnamic acids have demonstrated efficacy in experimental ulcerative colitis models, their protective roles in broader intestinal health contexts remain underexplored. Therefore, a systematic review is essential to clarify the intestinal anti-inflammatory mechanisms of three hydroxycinnamic acids and their interactions with gut microbiota. This clarification will comprehensively define their distinct roles in gut protection. Besides, the present review also helps promote the potential applications of chicory in food product development. 

Food contaminants, particularly insecticides, are important factors contributing to obesity and other adverse effects. As the most widely used diamide insecticide worldwide, chlorantraniliprole (CP) is ubiquitous in food and the environment. However, the influence of CP on obesity and the gut microbiota remains unknown. In this study, we administered CP/carboxymethyl cellulose sodium to C57BL/6J mice with a high-fat diet (HFD) via gavage for 13 weeks. The CP exposure induced significant increases in body weight gain, fat mass, serum total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Moreover, CP aggravated the imbalance in the gut microbiota by increasing the relative abundance of obesity-associated bacteria and reducing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria. Based on untargeted metabolomics analysis, CP was found to be involved in the regulation of pathways including Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and Arginine and proline metabolism. Notably, CP exposure primarily induced alterations in microbial metabolites within these pathways, such as L-(+)-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid. Additionally, individual metabolites, such as the lipid mediator (oleoyl ethanolamide), also demonstrated alterations upon CP exposure. Furthermore, Spearman correlation analysis revealed several noteworthy associations between microbial alterations, metabolite changes, and phenotypes. The results of the study demonstrate a connection between microbiota, metabolites, and the effects of CP exposure on HFD-induced obesity, elucidating the critical role of the gut microbiota and its metabolites in the toxic effects of CP.

Cartilage is a nonedible byproduct with little saleable value. However, previous studies have proposed the possibility of producing peptides from cartilage with immune function modulation potential. The current study aimed to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory activity of peptides derived from sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) cartilage in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Five peptide sequences, including four novel peptides, were identified from ethanol-soluble cartilage hydrolysates. Among these five peptides, LTGP, LLLE, LLEL and VGPAGPAGP reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) while increasing interleukin-10 (IL-10) excretion. Transcriptome analysis suggested the inhibition of activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathways after LLEL intervention. MAPK, which is involved in the IL-17 signaling pathway, was further proved to be blocked by downregulating the phosphorylation of p38, extracellular-signal regulated protein kinase (ERK), and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). This novel peptide offers an attractive approach to develop functional foods.