Protective effects of fermented blueberry juice with probiotics on alcohol-induced stomach mucosa injury in rats

Blueberry juice (BJ) contains a high concentration of biological components and current study assessed potential alternatives regarding bioactive compounds in blueberry juice after fermentation with probiotics. After fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus casei, it was shown that BJ was characterized by more active substances, and the antioxidant capacity of BJ was also increased via the verification of the DPPH and the hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. Additionally, 15 anthocyanins and 9 polyphenols were identified with HPLC-MS in the probiotic fermented blueberry juice (FBJ): the relative content of several anthocyanins and polyphenols increased after fermentation. The pretreatment of both BJ and FBJ could attenuate gastric injuries, suppress oxidative stress and inflammatory via the inhibition of NF-κB pathway and induction of PGE2 level. Moreover, the protective effects of FBJ were significantly stronger than those of BJ. The findings outlined in the current study demonstrated that BJ can be utilized as a protective strategy against alcohol-induced gastric injuries, and the effects can be strengthened by fermentation with probiotics.