Anti-Obesity Properties of a Novel Probiotic Strain of Latilactobacillus sakei CNTA 173 in Caenorhabditis elegans

Probiotic strains with health-promoting activities have emerged as a promising strategy to prevent or treat different metabolic syndrome-related disturbances, including obesity or type 2 diabetes. In this work, we characterize the probiotic properties of a novel strain of <i>Latilactobacillus sakei</i> (<i>L. sakei</i>) CNTA 173, and we demonstrate its anti-obesity properties using the in vivo model <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>). This new strain exhibited sensitivity to the entire spectrum of antibiotics analysed, gastric and intestinal in vitro resistance, β-galactosidase activity, and the ability to form biofilm and to produce acetic acid in vitro. Cell culture analyses demonstrated that <i>L. sakei</i> CNTA 173 was able to reduce the adhesion to Caco-2 cells of the pathogenic <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7 and to exert immunomodulatory capacity in RAW 264.7 and HT-29 in vitro models. Furthermore, supplementation with <i>L. sakei</i> CNTA 173 counteracted the deleterious effects of glucose in <i>C. elegans</i> by significantly reducing fat accumulation, enhancing the oxidative stress response, and extending lifespan by directly regulating the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism-related genes <i>acox-1</i>, <i>maoc-1,</i> and <i>daf-16</i>. Our results unveil new strain-specific mechanisms of action by which <i>L. sakei</i> CNTA 173 exerts beneficial effects in vitro and in <i>C. elegans</i>, and suggest potential application of this novel probiotic strain in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome-related disturbances.