Screen and characteristics of lactic acid bacteria with the ability to modulate energy metabolism and degrade uric acid

Hyperuricemia, a metabolic disease characterized by elevated uric acid (UA) levels due to abnormal purine metabolism, may benefit from a multi-target therapeutic approach using lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In this study, 49 strains of LAB were screened from plant and animal samples, with the top 10 strains selected via principal component analysis (PCA) based on their lipid-lowering, glucose-lowering, and obesity-inhibiting abilities to improve energy metabolism. After evaluating the hemolytic, DNase-, gelatin-, and amine-producing abilities of these strains, one strain X1 was elected for its high UA lowering ability based on the in vitro xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibition and in vivo (zebrafish model) XO reduction assay. X1 was then identified, its probiotic characteristics were investigated, and its potential anti-hyperuricemia mechanism was explored. The results showed X1 was Weissella cibaria with probiotic potential, and exhibited an in vitro XO inhibitory capacity of 57.77 ± 10.34% and reduced UA levels and XO activities by 47.30 ± 1.33% and 41.29 ± 5.26%, respectively, in a hyperuricemia zebrafish model. The anti-hyperuricemia mechanism of X1 may involve the degradation of inosine (45.26%) and guanosine (99.23%), along with the regulation of Organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1), UOX (urate oxidase), Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4A), and Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) expression levels. These findings indicated that X1 has potential as a probiotic for treating hyperuricemia.