Abstract
In the present study, thirty two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from fermented Indian herbal medicine. In comparison to other strains, MNL5 had stronger bile salt hydrolase (BSH) and cholesterol-lowering properties. Furthermore, it can withstand the extreme conditions found in the GI tract, due to, e.g., pepsin, bile salts, pancreatin, and acids. Pediococcus acidilactici MNL5 was identified as a probiotic candidate after sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The antibacterial activity of P. acidilactici MNL5 cell-free supernatants (CFS) against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Helicobacter pylori, Bacillus cereus, and Candida albicans was moderate. A Caenorhabditis elegans experiment was also performed to assess the effectiveness of P. acidilactici MNL5 supplementation to increase life span compared to E. coli supplementation (DAF-2 and LIU1 models) (p < 0.05). An immense reduction of the lipid droplets of C. elegans was identified through a fluorescent microscope. The drastic alteration of the expression of fat genes is related to obesity phenotypes. Hence, several paths are evolutionary for C. elegans; the results of our work highlight the nematode as an important model for obesity.