Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with premature morbidity and disability worldwide. Although probiotic intake has been shown to enhance glycemic control, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely defined. In this study, we employed a murine model of T2DM and integrated metabolomic, microbiomic, and molecular approaches to investigate the antidiabetic potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YZX21 (L. plantarum YZX21). Our findings demonstrated that oral administration of L. plantarum YZX21 significantly decreased fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, and the HOMA-IR index. Histopathological examination revealed restoration of islet cell morphology accompanied by improved insulin secretion. ELISA and immunohistochemical analyses showed an increase in colonic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) concentrations. Widely metabolomics using UPLC–MS/MS identified β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB; also known as 3-hydroxybutyric acid) as inversely associated with diabetic and inflammatory indices but positively correlated with GLP-1 levels. In parallel, L. plantarum YZX21 altered intestinal microbial composition and metabolic function, notably reshaping relative dominant phyla (Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes) abundance and increasing Akkermansia muciniphila levels. Spearman correlation analyses revealed a strong link between Akkermansia abundance and BHB levels. Administration of exogenous BHB to diabetic C57BL/6 mice for 8 weeks improved glycemia, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and elevated intestinal GLP-1 concentrations. Mechanistically, BHB treatment modulated expression of GPR109a/NF-κB pathway, leading to the suppression of levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, thereby promoting GLP-1 secretion by alleviating intestinal injury. Collectively, these results indicate that L. plantarum YZX21 mitigates T2DM through its anti-inflammatory metabolite BHB, achieved via enrichment of Akkermansia and subsequent regulation of the GPR109a/NF-κB signaling axis. This work provides a theoretical foundation for using L. plantarum YZX21 as a probiotic intervention for T2DM.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most prevalent pathogens residing in the human stomach lining. H. pylori infection is closely linked to the development of numerous gastric and non-gastric disorders. Probiotics are viable microorganisms that contribute to host health when appropriately administered or consumed, while postbiotics are non-viable microbial products or metabolic byproducts that are stable in gastric acid, structurally defined, and considered safe. Probiotics and postbiotics have beneficial effects on H. pylori infection and have become a popular topic of anti-H. pylori research in recent years. This paper provides an overview of recent progress in: (1) the mechanisms underlying H. pylori infection; (2) probiotics and postbiotics in the fight against H. pylori; (3) challenges and limitations of probiotic interventions in H. pylori eradication as well as strategies to improve them; and (4) the potential benefits, key efficacies, and methods of extraction, purification, and analysis of postbiotics. These results offer a scientific foundation for the incorporation of probiotics and postbiotics in H. pylori treatment strategies.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive disease with high morbidity and mortality. Disturbed gut microbiota and toxin accumulation are the main pathologic features of CKD. Current treatments are limited to those that alleviate renal impairment in CKD patients, but few interventions are available that specifically target the regulatory mechanisms of gut microbiota. In this context, researchers urgently need new approaches that can significantly improve survival time and quality of life in these patients. In this review, we outline the involvement of the gut-kidney axis in kidney injury through disturbances of gut microbiota and dysregulation of endogenous metabolites, as well as the prominent contribution of gut microbiota in the discovery of CKD that can be used to prevent, diagnose, and treat CKD. Next, we describe several major metabolites associated with the host-gut microbiota that arise from the synthesis of microbial nutrient transformations and subsequent interactions with the kidney. Then, we summarize the role and potential targets of a compromised gut barrier in CKD. Finally, we discuss research advances in the prevention and treatments of CKD through probiotics modulation of gut microbiota structure to reduce enterogenous toxins and their maintenance of gut barrier function. A growing body of research suggests that intervention through probiotics may be a new and promising therapeutic strategy for CKD.

With the development of China, children’s cheese has garnered increasing attention in the dairy industry, which has become a new growth point of China’s dairy industry. However, children’s cheeses currently available on the market are uneven, which cannot be fortified completely according to children’s nutritional needs. Their tastes are similar and their selling points are the same, which causes the public’s sensory fatigue and also go against consumers’ pursuit of clean label. Thus, the development of the children’s cheese industry is facing new challenges. In this paper, from the perspectives of children’s health and cheese nutrition, we link the needs of children of different ages for nutrition, flavor and texture with the nutrition, flavor and texture of cheese. The present situation, challenges and possible development directions of children’s cheese food in China are summarized.