Abstract:In this work, the effects of the Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 in fermented barley β-glucan (LFBG) and raw barley β-glucan (RBG) on the fat deposition of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) were studied. The C. elegans, as the model organism, was treated with different concentrations of LFBG and RBG. The changes of fat content and possible mechanism of C. elegans were analyzed by oil red O staining and real-time PCR, respectively. The β-glucan content in LFBG and RBG reached 71.70% and 72.60%, respectively, and the molecular weight (Mw) of LFBG and RBG were 3.14×104 and 1.66×105, respectively. Compared with the model group, LFBG and RBG could significantly improve the movement behavior of C. elegans, thereby increasing the energy consumption of the nematode to reduce the fat accumulation of nematodes. The fat contents of LFBG treatment decreased by 15.83%, 22.32% and 35.67% on the fat deposition when the concentration was 25 μg/mL, 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL, respectively. The inhibition effect of LFBG was more significant than RBG, which showed no effect when the concentration was 25 μg/mL. The fat contents of RBG treatment decreased by 16.28% and 22.29% when the concentration reached 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL, respectively. LFBG could significantly down-regulate the expression of daf-16 mRNA, while RBG could up-regulate the expression of cpt-1 mRNA. In conclusion, LFBG and RBG could effectively regulate the accumulation of fat in C. elegans, through different pathways in C. elegans.
