Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Potentials of Mulberry Fermented With Lactobacillus brevis YM 1301 and Lactobacillus plantarum CICC 24202

Mulberry ripe fruit (MP) is a popular berry known for its rich content of health-beneficial components such as anthocyanins and polysaccharides. While traditional Chinese medicine suggests therapeutic effects of mulberry fruits on diabetes, their high content of small-molecule sugars discourages diabetic patients from consuming them. This study utilized Lactobacillus plantarum CICC 24202 and Lactobacillus brevis YM 1301 to ferment mulberry homogenate at 37°C for 60 h. The fermented mulberry homogenate was freeze-dried to obtain fermented mulberry product (FMP). The content of small-molecular sugars in FMP decreased by approximately 50%, while the content of polysaccharides, the active components linked to the hypoglycemic effect of MP, increased by roughly 80%. The impact of FMP on type 2 diabetes (T2DM) was evaluated in a mouse model induced by a high-fat diet combined with STZ. The findings revealed that FMP and MP improved various parameters, including fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and FMP exerted a superior improving effect on these indices than MP. In addition, FMP also elevated levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and adiponectin in serum, reduced epididymal fat accumulation, and alleviated renal function damage in diabetic mice. Therefore, lactic acid bacteria fermentation represents a promising strategy to reduce small-molecular sugars in mulberry, enrich product diversity, and improve the health-promoting properties of mulberry products.