The health benefits of probiotics have been known for decades, but there has only been limited use of probiotics in the treatment of obesity. In this study, we describe, for the first time, the role of cell-free metabolites (CM) from Bacillus ginsengihumi-RO6 (CMRO6) in adipogenesis and lipogenesis in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. The experimental results show that CMRO6 treatment effectively reduced lipid droplet accumulation and the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α and β (C/EBPα and C/EBPβ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ), serum regulatory binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), phosphorylated p38MAPK, and Erk44/42. Additionally, CMRO6 treatment significantly increased glucose uptake and phosphorylated Akt (S473), AS160, and TBC1D1 protein expressions. Considering the results of this study, B. ginsengihumi may be a novel probiotic used for the treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic disorders.
Keywords: 3T3-L1; Bacillus ginsengihumi; cell-free metabolites; glucose uptake; lipid; probiotic.