Targeted Lipidomics and Lipid Metabolism Elucidate Anti-Obesity Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria-Fermented Purple Sweet Potato Tainung No. 73 Extract in Obese Mice

The increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic disorders poses a major global health challenge. In the present study, purple sweet potato Tainung No. 73 was fermented using <i>Lactobacillus amylovorus</i> OFMLa-73 and <i>Levilactobacillus brevis</i> OFMLb-143 to enrich the specific bioactive metabolite indolelactic acid. Furthermore, supplementation with fermented sweet potato (FSPE) ethanol extract resulted in a significant reduction in body weight gain, adipocyte hypertrophy, and hepatic lipid accumulation, while also improving serum lipid profiles in high-fat diet-induced obesity mice. These physiological improvements were associated with the downregulated expression of adipogenic and inflammatory genes in both liver and adipose tissues. Furthermore, lipidomic analysis revealed that FSPE modulated key lipid species, including ceramides and acylcarnitines, which are implicated in metabolic dysfunction. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that lactic acid fermentation enhanced purple sweet potato's functional potential, positioning FSPE as a promising candidate for dietary intervention in obesity management.