# Hypolipidemic activity of Limosilactobacillus fermentum SHY0004 from Miao sour soup

## TL;DR

This study identifies a beneficial bacterium from Miao sour soup that lowers lipid levels in cells, zebrafish, and mice, suggesting its potential for managing metabolic disorders.

## Contribution

The study isolates and characterizes a novel edible Lactobacillus strain with hypolipidemic activity from a traditional fermented food.

## Key findings

- SHY0004 reduced lipid levels in high-fat HepG2 cells and zebrafish models.
- The strain effectively lowered cholesterol and triglycerides in high-fat diet mice.
- SHY0004 shows potential for functional food development targeting metabolic disorders.

## Abstract

Probiotics have been demonstrated to regulate metabolic homeostasis through multiple mechanisms. Miao sour soup, a traditional fermented food from Guizhou Province, contains diverse beneficial microorganisms with potential physiological activities; however, its hypolipidemic function has not yet been fully explored. This study aims to isolate and identify edible lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with defined hypolipidemic activity from Miao sour soup, providing new microbial resources for the development of functional probiotics.

A lactic acid bacterium consistent with the List of Edible Microorganisms was isolated and purified from Miao sour soup and identified as Limosilactobacillus fermentum SHY0004. Functional evaluation showed that this strain exhibited feruloyl esterase activity and demonstrated significant hypolipidemic effects in both the high-fat–induced HepG2 cell model and the high-fat zebrafish model. In the high-fat diet (HFD) mice experiment, SHY0004 effectively regulated total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels in serum and liver, resulting in a clear lipid-lowering effect.

SHY0004 demonstrates hypolipidemic activity across multiple experimental models, providing experimental evidence for the functional potential of Miao sour soup. This strain shows promising application prospects for the development of functional foods or nutraceuticals aimed at preventing or managing hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, and obesity-related metabolic disorders.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-026-04798-y.