Heat-killed <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> LRCC5314 mitigates the effects of stress-related type 2 diabetes in mice via gut microbiome modulation

Abstract

The incidence of stress-related type 2 diabetes (stress-T2D), which is aggravated by physiological stress, is increasing annually. The effects of <i>Lactobacillus</i>, a key component of probiotics, have been widely studied in diabetes; however, studies on the effects of postbiotics are still limited. Here, we aimed to examine the mechanism through which heat-killed <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> LRCC5314 (HK-LRCC5314) alleviates stress-T2D in a cold-induced stress-T2D C57BL/6 mouse model. HK-LRCC5314 markedly decreased body weight gain, adipose tissue (neck, subcutaneous, and epididymal) weight, and fasting glucose levels. In the adipose tissue, mRNA expression levels of stress-T2D associated factors (NPY, Y2R, GLUT4, adiponectin, and leptin) and pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, and CCL-2) were also altered. Furthermore, HK-LRCC5314 increased the abundance of <i>Barnesiella</i>, <i>Alistipes</i>, and butyrate-producing bacteria, including <i>Akkermansia</i>, in feces and decreased the abundance of <i>Ruminococcus</i>, <i>Dorea</i>, and <i>Clostridium</i>. Thus, these findings suggest that HK-LRCC5314 exerts protective effects against stress-T2D via gut microbiome modulation, suggesting its potential as a supplement for managing stress-T2D.