Elucidation of the beneficial role of co-fermented whole grain quinoa and black barley with Lactobacillus on rats fed a western-style diet via a multi-omics approach

Long-term consumption of Western-style diet (WSD) can lead to metabolic disorders and dysbiosis of gut microbiota, presenting a critical risk factor for various chronic conditions such as fatty liver disease. In the present study, we investigated the beneficial role of co-fermented whole grain quinoa and black barley with Lactobacillus kisonensis on rats fed a WSD. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, aged six weeks and weighing 180 ± 10 g, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the normal control group (NC, n = 7), the WSD group (HF, n = 7), and the WSD supplemented with a co-fermented whole grain quinoa with black barley (FQB) intervention group (HFF, n = 7). The findings indicated that FQB was effective in suppressing body weight gain, mitigating hepatic steatosis, reducing perirenal fat accumulation, and ameliorating pathological damage in the livers and testicular tissues of rats. Additionally, FQB intervention led to decreased levels of serum uric acid (UA), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). These advantageous effects can be ascribed to the regulation of FQB on gut microbiota dysbiosis, which includes the restoration of intestinal flora diversity, reduction of the F/B ratio, and promotion of probiotics abundance, such as Akkermansia and [Ruminococcus] at the genus level. The study employed the UPLC-Q-TOF-MS