AU2020204029A1 - Lactobacillus paracasei AO356 strain having anti-obesity activity and composition when used for preventing, alleviating or treating obesity including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A novel Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain according to the present disclosure, which is a strain isolated from the human body, has high stability, exhibits the activity of inhibiting adipogenic differentiation in vitro and inducing the differentiation of M1 and MO macrophages into M2 macrophages, and has excellent activity of alleviating, preventing, or treating obesity, such as the activity of reducing body weight and a reduction in blood lipid concentration through the browning of white fat in animal experiments. Thus, the novel strain of the present disclosure has a low possibility of causing side effects, and therefore, unlike conventional diet functional foods or drugs, which have side effect problems, a diet effect can be exhibited without controlling the dose thereof. Accordingly, the novel strain can be used as a pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing obesity or a food composition for alleviating or preventing obesity. 7/21 38 -+- ND 36 -- HFD -dr- L. paracasei A0356 w 34 -%.0 W 32 30 30 0 28 26 24 22 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (weeks) FIG. 10

Description

7/21

38 -+- ND 36 -- HFD -dr- L. paracasei A0356 w 34 -%.0 W 32

30 30

28

26

24

22 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (weeks) FIG. 10

LACTOBACILLUS PARACASEIA0356 STRAIN HAVING ANTI-OBESITY

ACTIVITY AND COMPOSITION WHEN USED FOR PREVENTING, ALLEVIATING OR TREATING OBESITY INCLUDING THE SAME BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a novel Lactobacillus paracasei A0356

strain having anti-obesity activity, and a composition when used for preventing,

alleviating or treating obesity including the same.

2. Discussion of Related Art

As mankind has developed into a rich society, obesity has emerged as one of

the most serious chronic diseases. Obesity occurs due to various causes, is a

metabolic disorder caused by an imbalance between intake and consumption of

calories, and morphologically, is known to be caused by hypertrophy or hyperplasia

of adipocytes in the body.

Obesity has become a direct cause that not only psychologically disturbs

individuals, but also increases the risk of various adult diseases socially, and thus is a

major cause of an increase in national medical spending.

Specifically, obesity is directly associated with the increased prevalence of

various adult diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and

cardiovascular disease, and all obesity-related diseases are referred to as metabolic

syndrome or insulin resistance syndrome. These act as causes of arteriosclerosis and

cardiovascular diseases.

Obesity is not only the most common malnutrition disorder in western society,

but also in Korea, the frequency of obesity tends to be rapidly increasing due to the

improvement of diet and westernization of lifestyles, which result from economic

advances. Since the rate of obesity in Korean adults is increasing 3% each year, the

obesity problem is gradually getting worse. Therefore, there is a need to develop a

therapeutic agent or treatment method for treating and preventing obesity.

Obesity therapeutic agents, which are known to date, are broadly classified

into appetite suppressants, energy consumption promoters, and fat absorption

inhibitors, such as XenicalTM (Roche Pharmaceuticals, Switzerland), ReductiTM

(Abbott, USA), and ExoliseTM (Atopharma, France), and most obesity drugs are

appetite suppressants that suppress appetite by regulating neurotransmitters associated

with the hypothalamus. However, conventional therapeutic agents have low

persistence of efficacy, along with side effects such as heart disease, respiratory

diseases, and neurological diseases, and thus there is a need to develop more improved

obesity therapeutic agents. In addition, products being currently developed also have

little satisfactory therapeutic effect, and thus there is a need to develop a novel obesity

therapeutic agent.

On the other hand, many efforts have been made to reduce cholesterol levels

in the blood using lactic acid bacteria, which are considered safe microorganisms.

Lactobacillus, which is a metabolite that uses sugars as an energy source, produces a

large amount of lactic acid and also produces other organic acids and antibacterial

substances such as bacteriocin, but does not produce indole, skatole, phenol, amines or ammonia, or the like, which are harmful to the intestines of humans or animals.

Thus, lactobacillus is a beneficial bacterium that prevents spoilage, suppresses harmful

bacteria, and exhibits physiological activity that is beneficial to humans. Among

these, strains belonging to the genus Lactobacillus are a major member of the normal

microbial community inhabiting the intestines of the human body, and have long been

known to be important for maintaining a healthy digestive system and vaginal

environment. According to U.S. Public Health Service guidelines, all Lactobacillus

strains, which are currently deposited in the U.S. strain depository organization

(ATCC), are classified as "Bio-safety Level 1," which is recognized as having no

known potential risk of causing diseases to humans or animals.

Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1471033 discloses a Weisella

sp. F22 (Accession No .: KACC 91867P) strain having excellent anti-obesity activity,

and Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-0264361 discloses a Lactobasillus

plantarum PM008 (KFCC-11028) strain having a cholesterol-lowering ability and

deconjugation activity against 6 types of conjugated bile acids.

However, since commercially successful technologies related to

Lactobacillus exhibiting an excellent anti-obesity effect have not yet emerged, as

having conducted research on probiotics having no side effects in the body and

exhibiting an excellent obesity treatment effect, the inventors of the present disclosure

newly discovered a Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain, and confirmed that the

strain exhibited high viability and activity in the body of animals, and exhibited an

excellent effect of alleviating, preventing, or treating obesity even when the strain itself

was directly added as an active ingredient of foods and medicines, and thus completed the present disclosure.

Related Art Documents

Patent Documents

(Patent Document 0001) Patent Document 1. Korea Registered Patent

Publication No. 10-1471033

(Patent Document 0002) Patent Document 2. Korea Registered Patent

Publication No. 10-0264361

Any reference to or discussion of any document, act or item of knowledge in

this specification is included solely for the purpose of providing a context for the

present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any of these matters or any

combination thereof formed at the priority date forms part of the common general

knowledge, or was known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which

this specification is concerned.

SUMMARY

Provided is a LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) having

anti-obesity activity.

Provided are probiotics including the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain

(KCCM12145P) or a culture medium thereof.

Provided is a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating obesity,

including the Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or a culture

medium thereof.

Provided are a food composition for preventing or alleviating obesity and a

food composition for alleviating inflammation caused by obesity, the compositions

including the Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or a culture

medium thereof.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows

and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the

presented embodiments.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a

LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) having anti-obesity activity.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a

probiotic or food composition comprising the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain

(KCCM12145P) of the first aspect or a culture medium thereof.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a

pharmaceutical composition comprising the Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain

(KCCM12145P)of claim the firs aspect or a culture medium thereof

The Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or the culture

medium thereof may be included in an amount of about 0.01 wt% to about 50 wt%

with respect to a total weight of the composition.

The composition may inhibit adipogenic differentiation.

The composition may induce differentiation into M2 type macrophages.

The composition may reduce body weight.

According to a fourth aspect there is provided the pharmaceutical composition of

the third aspect, when used for preventing or treating obesity.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a food

composition for preventing or alleviating obesity, including the Lactobacillus

paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or a culture medium thereof.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a food

composition for alleviating inflammation caused by obesity, including the

LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or a culture medium thereof.

According to a seventh aspect there

According to an eight aspect there is provided a method for preventing or

alleviating obesity, or alleviating inflammation caused by obesity, the method

comprising administering to a subject an effective dose of Lactobacillus paracasei

A0356 strain (KCCM12145P), the probiotic or food composition of the second aspect,

or the pharmaceutical composition of any one of the third aspect.

According to a ninth aspect there is provided use of Lactobacillusparacasei

A0356 strain (KCCM12145P) for the manufacture of a medicament for preventing or

alleviating obesity, or alleviating inflammation caused by obesity.

It is to be noted that, throughout the description and claims of this specification,

the word 'comprise' and variations of the word, such as 'comprising' and 'comprises',

is not intended to exclude other variants or additional components, integers or steps.

Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those

skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the

scope of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure

will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail

exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a series of analysis processes for selecting strains

having anti-obesity activity according to Experimental Example 1 of the present

disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the lipid accumulation of each of 36 strains

measured using Oil red 0 staining according to Experimental Example 1 of the present

disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a series of analysis processes for selecting strains

having anti-obesity activity according to Experimental Example 2 of the present

disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of measuring cytokine secretion (%) in

macrophages when treated with each of 36 dead strains according to Experimental

Example 2 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the results of measuring a ratio of IL/10 to IL-12

in macrophages when treated with each of 36 dead strains according to Experimental

Example 2 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the results of measuring cytokine secretion (%) in

macrophages when treated with each of 36 live strains according to Experimental

Example 2 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the results of measuring a ratio of IL-10 to IL-12

in macrophages when treated with each of 36 live strains according to Experimental

Example 2 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of setting experimental animals

and experimental groups according to Experimental Example 3 of the present

disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the results of measuring a body weight change in

each experimental group according to Experimental Example 3 of the present

disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the results of measuring a body weight change

according to week in each experimental group according to Experimental Example 5

of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the results of analyzing weight gain in each

experimental group according to Experimental Example 5 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12A-E is a set of graphs showing the results of measuring fat weights of,

with respect to body weight, the liver (A), epididymal fat tissue (B), retroperitoneal fat

tissue (C), inguinal fat tissue (D), and interscapular brown adipose tissue (E), in each

experimental example according to Experimental Example 5 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13A-F is a set of graphs showing LDL-cholesterol (A), triglycerides (TG)

(B), HDL-cholesterol (C), glucose (D), insulin (E), and HOMA-IR (F), which were

measured in serum isolated from each experimental group according to Experimental

Example 5 of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14A-C is a set of graphs showing the results of analyzing the mRNA

expression levels of lipometabolism-related genes after extracting RNA from

epididymal white fat isolated from each experimental group and performing qPCR

analysis thereon, according to Experimental Example 5 of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail

with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the present disclosure is shown

and described in connection with exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent

to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing

from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, various aspects and various embodiments of the present

disclosure will be described in more detail.

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a Lactobacillus

paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) having anti-obesity activity.

The LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain according to the present disclosure

is a strain isolated from the human body, and is a strain deposited in the Korean Culture

Center of Microorganisms on November 2, 2017.

The LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain according to the present disclosure

includes 16S rDNA having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, and

the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain is a Gram-positive bacterium that appears

purple in Gram staining and uses, as carbon sources, glucose, galactose, maltose, D

ribose, sucrose, lactose, trehalose raffinose, and the like.

In addition, the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356strain may further exhibit, in

addition to anti-obesity activity, an activity of inhibiting inflammation caused by

obesity. When ingested via oral administration, the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356

strain suppresses adipogenic differentiation, induces differentiation into M2

macrophages to thereby inhibit obesity, and reduces a host's intake of dietary fat, while

increasing the excretion of dietary fat, thereby reducing the body weight of a host.

In addition, the Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain of the present

disclosure has excellent viability against gastric acid or bile, and thus exhibits high

viability in the body of an animal, so that the strain can maintain anti-obesity activity

in the body for a long time.

Also, another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to probiotics

including the Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or a culture

medium thereof.

The LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain according to the present disclosure

may be used as it is in a cultured state, or may be used in the form of dry powder.

In the present disclosure, the culture medium refers to the entire medium

including: a cultured strain obtained by culturing, for a certain period of time, the

Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain in a known liquid medium or solid medium

capable of supplying nutrients so that the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain can

grow and survive in vitro; a metabolite thereof; extra nutrients; or the like, and the

culture medium also includes a culture medium from which the strain is removed after

being cultured.

The culture medium may be centrifuged or filtered, or concentrated, and these processes may be performed according to the needs of one of ordinary skill in the art.

In the present disclosure, probiotics refer to intestinal flora that are beneficial

to health, i.e., living microorganisms, i.e., living bacteria, which provide benefits to

the health of a host. In general, probiotics are consumed as part of fermented foods

such as yogurt or as dietary supplements.

The LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain of the present disclosure, which is

a strain of the genus Lactobacillus known as probiotics, has excellent viability against

gastric acid and bile, and has anti-obesity activity, and thus may be used as a probiotic.

The Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or the culture

medium thereof may be included in an amount of about 0.01 wt% to about 50 wt%

with respect to a total weight of the composition.

The composition may be administered such that the number of live bacteria

of the Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain included in the composition is a

concentration of less than 5x107 CFU, but this has to be selected depending on a patient

and a situation, and the number of live bacteria in the composition is not intended to

limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a pharmaceutical

composition for preventing or treating obesity and a food composition for preventing

or alleviating obesity, the compositions including the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356

strain (KCCM12145P) or a culture medium thereof.

The LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain according to the present disclosure

may be used as it is in a cultured state or may be used in the form of dried powder.

In the present disclosure, the culture medium refers to the entire medium including: a cultured strain obtained by culturing, for a certain period of time, the

Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain in a known liquid medium or solid medium

capable of supplying nutrients so that the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain can

grow and survive in vitro; a metabolite thereof; extra nutrients; or the like, and the

culture medium also includes a culture medium from which the strain is removed after

being cultured. The culture medium from which the strain has been removed may be

a sterilized culture medium including dead bacteria, or may be a filtrate or centrifuged

supernatant from which the strain is removed by filtration or centrifugation.

The culture medium may be centrifuged or filtered, or concentrated, and these

processes may be performed according to the needs of one of ordinary skill in the art.

The Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) or the culture

medium thereof is included in an amount of about 0.01 wt% to about 50 wt% with

respect to the total weight of the composition, and may be directly used, may be used

after concentration, or may be diluted after concentration or drying and used.

The effect of alleviating, treating or preventing obesity according to the

present disclosure is expected to be obtained by the Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356

strain that, while proliferating, inhibits the differentiation of mast cells, induces

differentiation into M2 type macrophages, and reduces a host's intake of dietary fat,

while increasing the excretion of dietary fat, thereby reducing the body weight of the

host, and the composition may be used as it is in a liquid state, or may also be dried

and powdered.

The expression "including as an active ingredient" means including the

Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain or the culture medium thereof in an amount sufficient to achieve obesity-alleviating, -treating, or -preventing efficacy or activity.

The term "prevention" means all actions that inhibit or delay the onset, spread,

and recurrence of obesity via administration of the composition, and the term

"treatment" means all actions that improve or beneficially change the symptoms of

obesity via administration of the composition.

The food composition may be prepared by formulating the composition in the

form of capsules, tablets, powder, granules, liquids, pills, flakes, pastes, syrups, gels,

jellies, or bars, or may be prepared into a general food form by adding the composition

to food substances such as beverages, teas, spices, gum, or confectionaries, and means

a food composition that has specific health effects when ingested, but has an advantage

that, unlike general drugs, the food composition uses food as raw materials, and thus

has no side effects that may occur when drugs are administered for a long time.

The food composition is very useful because it may be ingested daily. The

amount of the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain or the culture medium thereof

added in such a food composition varies depending on the type of target food, and thus

cannot be equally defined, but the strain may be added within a range that does not

impair the original taste of food, and the amount of the strain generally ranges from

about 0.01 wt% to about 50 wt%, preferably about 0.1 wt% to about 20 wt%, with

respect to the target food. In addition, in the case of a food composition in the form

of capsules, tablets, powders, granules, liquids, pills, flakes, pastes, syrups, gels, jellies,

or bars, the strain is generally added in the range of about 0.1 wt% to about 100 wt%,

preferably about 0.5 wt% to 80 wt%.

The food composition may include, in addition to the Lactobacillusparacasei

A0356 strain or the culture medium thereof as an active ingredient, ingredients that

are commonly added in food preparation, and examples of the ingredients include

proteins, carbohydrates, fat, nutrients, a seasoning agent, and a flavoring agent.

Examples of the above-described carbohydrates include general sugars such as

monosaccharides, e.g., glucose and fructose; disaccharides, e.g., maltose, sucrose, and

oligosaccharides; and polysaccharides, e.g., dextrin and cyclodextrin, and sugar

alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol.

As the flavoring agent, a natural flavoring agent (thaumatin and stevia

extracts (e.g., rebaudioside A and glycyrrhizin) and a synthetic flavoring agent

(saccharin, aspartame, and the like) may be used.

For example, when the food composition of the present disclosure is prepared

as drinks and beverages, the food composition may further include, in addition to the

LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain or a culture medium thereof, citric acid, liquid

fructose, sugar, glucose, acetic acid, malic acid, fruit juice, various plant extracts, and

the like.

In addition, the pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating obesity

including, as an active ingredient, the Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain or a

culture medium thereof may be administered such that the number of live bacteria of

the Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain is included at a concentration of less than

5x107, preferably 5x103 CFU to 5x107 CFU, but this has to be selected depending on

a patient and a situation, and the number of live bacteria in the composition is not

intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

In addition, the culture medium is included in the composition at a dose of

0.001 mg/kg or more, preferably 0.1 mg/kg or more, more preferably 10 mg/kg or

more, even more preferably 100 mg/kg or more, still more preferably 250 mg/kg or

more, and most preferably 0.1 g/kg or more. The LactobacillusparacaseiA0356

strain, which is a strain isolated from the human body, does not have side effects on

the human body even when administered an excess dose of live bacteria, and thus, the

quantitative upper limit of the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain included in the

composition of the present disclosure may be selected by one of ordinary skill in the

art within an appropriate range.

The pharmaceutical composition may be prepared using a pharmaceutically

acceptable and physiologically acceptable adjuvant in addition to the active ingredient,

and the adjuvant includes excipients, disintegrants, sweeteners, binders, coating agents,

expanding agents, lubricants, flavoring agents, or the like.

The pharmaceutical composition may be formulated by further including one

or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, in addition to the active ingredient

described above for administration.

Formulations of the pharmaceutical composition may be granules, powders,

tablets, coated tablets, capsules, suppositories, liquids, syrups, juices, suspensions,

emulsions, drops, injectable liquids, or the like. For example, for formulation in the

form of tablets or capsules, the active ingredient may be combined with an oral, non

toxic pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier such as ethanol, glycerol, or water. In

addition, if desired or necessary, suitable binders, lubricants, disintegrants, and

colorants may also be included as a mixture. Suitable binders include, but are not

limited to, natural sugars such as starch, gelatin, glucose, or beta-lactose, sweeteners of com, natural and synthetic gum such as acacia, tragacanth, or sodium oleate, sodium stearate, magnesium stearate, sodium benzoate, sodium acetate, and sodium chloride.

Disintegrants include, but are not limited to, starch, methyl cellulose, agar, bentonite,

and xanthan gum.

Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers in compositions formulated as liquid

solution are sterile and biocompatible, and as the carrier, saline, sterile water, Ringer's

solution, buffered saline, an albumin injection solution, a dextrose solution, a

maltodextrin solution, glycerol, ethanol, and a mixture of one or more of these

components may be used. As necessary, other general additives such as antioxidants,

buffers, and bacteriostatic agents may be added. In addition, diluents, dispersants,

surfactants, binders, and lubricants may be additionally added to formulate into

injectable formulations such as aqueous solutions, suspensions, and emulsions, pills,

capsules, granules, or tablets.

Furthermore, the compositions of the present disclosure may be formulated

according to each disease or ingredient using methods disclosed in Remington's

Pharmaceutical Science, Mack Publishing Company, Easton PA by appropriate

methods in the art.

The pharmaceutical composition may be administered orally or parenterally,

and in the case of parenteral administration, the pharmaceutical composition may be

administered via intravenous injection, subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection,

intraperitoneal injection, transdermal administration, or the like, and oral

administration is preferably used.

A suitable dose of the pharmaceutical composition may vary depending on factors, such as formulation method, administration method, the age, body weight, and gender of a patient, pathologic conditions, diet, administration time, administration route, excretion speed, and reaction sensitivity, and ordinarily skilled doctors can easily determine and prescribe an effective dose for targeted treatment or prevention.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a daily dose of the pharmaceutical

composition ranges from about 0.001 g/kg to about 10 g/kg.

The pharmaceutical composition may be formulated using a pharmaceutically

acceptable carrier and/or an excipient by a method, which may be easily carried out by

one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains, to be prepared

in a unit dose form or to be contained in a multi-dose container. In this regard, the

formulation may be a solution in oil or an aqueous medium, a suspension, an emulsion,

an extract, powder, granules, tablets, or capsules, and may further include a dispersing

agent or a stabilizing agent.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in further detail with

reference to the following examples and the like. However, these examples and the

like should not be construed as limiting the scope and content of the present disclosure.

In addition, based on the disclosure of the present disclosure including the following

examples, it is obvious that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the

present disclosure in which experimental results are not specifically presented, and it

is also obvious that these changes and modifications fall within the appended claims.

In addition, the experimental results presented below are only representative

experimental results of the examples and comparative examples, and the effects of various embodiments of the present disclosure, which are not explicitly presented below, are described in detail in the corresponding parts.

Example 1. 36 Strains

To select a candidate group of probiotics having anti-obesity activity, 36

strains (see Table 1) derived from the human body were collected, and each strain was

isolated and identified, and shown in Table 1. Each strain was cultured in MRS

medium (Difco, 288110) at 37 C for 18 hours to 24 hours.

Table 1

No. Strain name 1 Lactobacillus sakei subsp. Sakei 2 Streptococcus infantariussubsp. Coli 3 Bacillus licheniformis 4 Bacillus siamensis 5 Lactobacillus sakei subsp. Carnosus 6 Enterococcusfaecalis 7 Enterococcus hirae 8 CarnobacteriummaltaromaticumBA 9 Lactobacillus reuteri 10 Enterococcusfaecium 11 Enterococcusfaecium 12 Enterococcusfaecium 13 Lactobacillusfermentum 14 Lactobacillus mucosae 15 LactobacillusparacaseiA0365 16 Lactobacillus acidilactici 17 Lactobacillus zeae 18 Enterococcusfaecium 19 Lactobacillus reuteri 20 Lactobacillusjohnsonii 21 Lactobacilluspentosus 22 Lactobacillus gasseri 23 Lactobacillus ruminis 24 Lactobacillus mesenteroides subsp. Mesenteroides 25 Obesumbacteriumproteus 26 D29 27 101-7

28 102-4 29 M40a 30 Lactobacillus acidophilus 31 Lactobacillus rhamnosus 32 Pediococcuspentosaceus 33 Bifidobacterium lactis 34 Bifidobacterium breve 35 Lactobacillus acidophilus 36 Lactobacillus intestinalis

Experimental Example 1. Selection of Strains Having Adipogenesis

Inhibitory Activity

To evaluate the anti-obesity efficacy of the upper tier candidate strains, the

ability to inhibit the differentiation of pre-adipocytes (3T3-L1 cells) into adipocytes

(Example 1) and the ability to regulate macrophages (splenic macrophages isolated

from mice) (Example 2) were analyzed and compared.

(1) Experimental Method

The accumulation of lipids in adipocytes is the most representative

characteristic of obesity. Adipocytes are formed by the differentiation of pre

adipocytes derived from stem cells, and while 3T3-L1 cells (pre-adipocytes)

differentiate into adipocytes, intracellular fat globules are formed through

morphological and biochemical changes, and as the differentiation progresses, the size

of fat globules increases. Since most fat globules consist of proteins such as

triglycerides and perilipin A, the degree of fat differentiation may be confirmed by

measuring the intracellular content of triglycerides.

Thus, 3T3-L1 cells, which are representative pre-adipocytes, were treated

with each of the upper tier candidate strains, differentiation was induced, and the intracellular content of triglycerides (TG) was measured to evaluate the activity of inhibiting adipogenesis.

For the above-described TG content measurement experiment, culturing of

cells was maintained for at least 8 days or longer. In addition, to exclude the impact

of the upper tier candidate strains on the growth of 3T3-L1 cells, the upper tier

candidate strains were treated in a dead form.

Prior to the TG experiment, as a result of confirming cytotoxicity through

water soluble tetrazolium (WST) analysis for the upper tier candidate strains,

cytotoxicity was not shown at a concentration of 1x107 CFU to 1x106 CFU, and thus

in order to measure adipogenesis inhibitory activity, the concentration of dead bacteria

of the treated upper tier candidate strains was fixed at 1x107 CFU/well to 1x106

CFU/well.

Specifically, to investigate the effect of each candidate strain on the degree of

lipid accumulation in a fat differentiation process, Oil Red 0 staining was performed

according to the methods of Negrel and Dani. 100% confluent 3T3-L1 cells were

treated with 1x107 CFU/mL of each of the 36 upper tier candidate strains, and cultured

in MDI medium (DMEM + FBS + PS + Insulin + Dexamethasone + IBMX + Insulin).

After 10 days of differentiation, the culture medium was removed, followed by

washing with PBS and then fixing with 10% formaldehyde for 10 minutes. The10%

formaldehyde was removed and saturated formaldehyde was added again to fix the

cells for 1 hour or more. Thereafter, 60% isopropanol was added and immediately

removed, followed by washing with distilled water, and fat globules were stained with a solution for Oil red 0 staining for 30 minutes, and then washed with distilled water.

The intracellular lipid accumulation of the stained fat globules was observed using a

microscope and photographed to visually observe the effect of 36 strains on lipid

accumulation during fat differentiation. To confirm the accumulated fat, the Oil red

0 dye was eluted by adding isopropanol in a dry state, and then absorbance at 490 nm

was measured using a multi-plate reader. At this time, isopropanol was used as a

blank.

(2) Conclusion

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a series of analysis processes for selecting strains

having anti-obesity activity according to Experimental Example 1 of the present

disclosure. FIG. 2 is a graph showing the lipid accumulation of each of 36 strains

measured using Oil red 0 staining according to Experimental Example 1 of the present

disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, as a result of comparing the intracellular contents of

triglycerides (TG) of the 36 strains, a 10% or more decrease in TG content was

confirmed in strain Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 16, 21, 24, 28, and 29, and it was

confirmed that, among these, strain Nos. 15 and 21 exhibited the greatest adipogenesis

inhibitory activity.

Experimental Example 2. Evaluation of Regulatory Ability of

Macrophages (Splenic Macrophages Isolated from Mice)

In adipose tissue, there are macrophages that regulate inflammatory responses,

in addition to adipocytes. Thus, when obesity occurs, chronic inflammation or diabetes is accompanied by macrophages present in adipose tissue.

Under normal conditions, M2 type macrophages are present in adipose tissue,

and these are anti-inflammatory macrophages that alleviate inflammation and have

maintenance and protective activity so as not to exhibit insulin resistance. In contrast,

in the case of obesity, macrophages infiltrate into adipose tissue, and M2 type

macrophages are switched into M1 type macrophages. M1 type macrophages are

inflammatory macrophages and are known to produce chemicals called pro

inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. For example, M1 type macrophages

induce the production of cytokines such as IL-Ibeta, TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-12,

causing inflammation and promoting insulin resistance.

Thus, to prevent diseases accompanied by obesity, such as inflammation and

diabetes, the degree of conversion from M1 type into M2 type macrophages and

whether to induce differentiation from MO type macrophages into M2 type

macrophages were analyzed to evaluate the ability of each strain to regulate

macrophages.

(1) Experimental Method

To select strains capable of regulating macrophages, spleens were isolated

from mice, and then splenocytes were isolated, and since various immune cells such

as T cells and B cells are present in splenocytes, only CD11b and macrophages were

isolated using an MACS system to conduct an experiment. The isolated

macrophages were dispensed into a 96 well plate at a density of1 x 106cells/well, and

then cultured for 2 hours or longer, and when the macrophages were stably adhered to

the bottom of each well, 100 ng/ml of LPS and each of 3 x 107 CFU/well of 36 strains

(dead or live form) were added. After 48 hours, the supernatant was recovered and

the secretion amounts of produced IL-12 and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. At

this time, IL-12 is an identification factor for M1 type macrophages, and IL-10 is an

identification factor for M2 type macrophages.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a series of analysis processes for selecting strains

having anti-obesity activity according to Experimental Example 2 of the present

disclosure. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of measuring cytokine secretion (%)

in macrophages when treated with each of 36 dead strains according to Experimental

Example 2 of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the results of

measuring aratio of IL/10to IL-12 in macrophages when treated with each of 36 dead

strains according to Experimental Example 2 of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a

graph showing the results of measuring cytokine secretion (%) in macrophages when

treated with each of 36 live strains according to Experimental Example 2 of the present

disclosure. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the results of measuring a ratio of IL-10 to IL

12 in macrophages when treated with each of 36 live strains according to Experimental

Example 2 of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, it was confirmed that, upon treatment with dead

bacteria, 12 strains (strain Nos.: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 16, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31, and 33) exhibited

a 2-fold or more increase in the IL-10/IL-12 ratio.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, it was confirmed that, upon treatment with

live bacteria, a total of 11 strains (strains Nos.: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 16, and 23)

exhibited a three-fold or more increase in the IL-10/IL-12 ratio.

From among the strains identified based on the above-described results, strains exhibiting both fat differentiation inhibitory activity and the ability to regulate macrophages although one or the other was not excellent were preferentially selected, and as a result, a total of 4 strains were selected. Specifically, strains 3 and 6 were selected because it was confirmed that they had adipogenesis inhibitory activity in vitro and exhibited the highest IL-1O/IL-12 ratio, and strain 13 was selected because it was confirmed that it exhibited both adipogenesis inhibitory activity and macrophage regulatory activity in vitro.

In addition, strain 15, which is LactobacillusparacaseiA0356, was selected

because it was confirmed that the strain exhibited the strongest fat differentiation

inhibitory activity and had a relatively high IL10/IL12 ratio.

(3) Conclusion

Taken together the results of Experimental Examples 1 and 2, 4 strains (strain

Nos.: 3, 6, 13, and 15) exhibiting excellent adipogenesis inhibitory activity and

excellent regulatory activity against macrophages were selected, and to secondarily

select, from among the selected 4 strains, strains exhibiting excellent anti-obesity

activity even in vivo, in vivo anti-obesity activities were compared through an in-vivo

experiment, which will be described below.

Experimental Example 3. Confirmation of Effect of Anti-Obesity

Activity of Selected 4 Strains through Animal Experiment

A. Experimental Animals and Experimental Groups

6-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were purchased from Central Lab Animal

Inc. and used as experimental animals, and were raised under 12 hour light/dark conditions at a temperature of 20+2 °C and a humidity of 555%. After purchase, the experimental animals were acclimatized for 2 weeks, and then grouped into 5 mice per group and set as experimental groups as shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Classification Experimental groups (N -5) Normal diet Normal control fed normal feed (ND, 10% fat), orally administered 100 pl/head of PBS 5 times a week for 8 weeks High fat diet Negative control (HFD, 45% fat) fed high fat feed for induction of obesity, orally administered 100 pl/head of PBS 5 times a week for 8 weeks A After high fat feed for inducing obesity was ingested, 108 CFU/head of strain No. 3 (Bacilluslichenformis) was orally administered five times a week for 0-4 weeks, and then 5 x 10 CFU/head thereof was orally administered five times a week for 5-8 weeks B After high fat feed for inducing obesity was ingested, 108 CFU/head of strain No. 6 (Enterococcusfaecalis)was orally administered five times a week for 0-4 weeks, and then 5 x 10 CFU/head thereof was orally administered five times a week for 5-8 weeks C After high fat feed for inducing obesity was ingested, 108 CFU/head of strain No. 13 (Lactobacillusfermentum)was orally administered five times a week for 0-4 weeks, and then 5 x 10 CFU/head thereof was orally administered five times a week for 5-8 weeks D After high fat feed for inducing obesity was ingested, 108 CFU/head of strain No. 15 (Lactobacillusparacasei AO356) was orally administered five times a week for 0-4 weeks, and then 5 x 10 CFU/head thereof was orally administered five times a week for 5-8 weeks

For all experimental groups, except for Normal diet and High fat diet, feed

was mixed with each strain, and then the mixture of the feed and the strain was orally

administered. FIG. 8 illustrates a process of setting experimental animals and

experimental groups according to Experimental Example 3 of the present disclosure.

B. Body Weight, Feed Intake, and Drinking Water Volume

For all experimental groups, the body weight change (g), feed intake (g), and

drinking water volume (ml) of experimental animals were measured from the time of feeding feed until the experimental animals were sacrificed. Feed intake and water intake were measured three times a week, cages were changed twice a week, and body weight was measured once a week for comparison.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the results of measuring a body weight change in

each experimental group. As illustrated in this drawing, a decrease in weight gain

was clearly confirmed in strain 15, i.e., LactobacillusparacaseiA0356.

Experimental Example 4. Identification of Selected Strain

16S rDNA Analysis

The finally selected strain was subjected to genetic analysis of 16S rDNA,

which is a bacterial base conservation sequence, using universal bacterial primers

(518F,800R)forPCR(SEQIDNO:1). The results were analyzed using NCBI Blast

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/).

The inventors named Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 "Lactobacillus

paracaseiA0356 (KCCM12145P :)" and deposited the strain in the Korean Culture

Center of Microorganisms on November 2, 2017.

Depository Name: Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (overseas)

Accession No.: KCCM12145P

Date of Deposit: 20171102

Experimental Example 5. Confirmation of Effect of Anti-Obesity

Activity of Finally Selected A0356 Strain in Animal Experiment

A. Strain Culture

To produce the Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain, which was finally

selected, the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain was streaked and inoculated onto

a solid medium (Lactobacilli MRS Agar; BD Difco Co, USA) and cultured at 37 C

for 24 hours. During the culture process, it was thoroughly checked whether

contamination occurred in the bacteria and a single colony was formed, and then the

next experiment was conducted. After the culture was completed, colonies were

collected from each solid medium, which was then inoculated into 5 mL of a liquid

medium (Lactobacilli MRS broth; BD Difco Co, USA) and cultured at 37 C and 140

rpm for 24 hours, and then the colonies were inoculated at 1%(v/v) into 200 mL of

other prepared liquid media (Lactobacilli MRS broth; BD Difco Co, USA), thereby

increasing bacteria stepwise. The activated Lactobacillus paracaseiA0356 strain

was subjected to 2.4 L-5 L main culture, incubated at 37 °C and 140 rpm for 24 hours,

and then centrifuged (Avanti J-E, Beckman Coulter, USA) at 6,000 rpm and 4 C for

15 minutes to recover the colonies. The recovered colonies were washed twice with

sterile 0.85% physiological saline, and then lyophilized (FDCF-12003, OPERON,

Korea), and powdered and stored at -80 C until use.

B. Experimental Animals and Experimental Groups

6-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were purchased from Central Lab Animal

Inc. and used as experimental animals, and were raised under 12 hour light/dark cycles

at a temperature of 20+2 °C and a humidity of 555%. After purchase, the

experimental animals were acclimatized for 2 weeks, and then grouped into 10 mice per group according to randomized complete block design and set as experimental groups as shown in Table 3.

During the acclimatization period, for the uniformity of intestinal microbial

flora in the animal model, litter was mixed at 2-3 day intervals. Subsequently, the

animals were grouped into 10 mice per experimental group, and a normal diet (ND)

group was fed a normal diet and the remaining groups were fed a high fat diet (Rodent

diet with 45%kcal Fat, Research Diets, USA). The LactobacillusparacaseiA0356

strain was weighed in accordance with a concentration of 5x107 CFU/head, and then

suspended in sterile PBS, and orally administered 5 times a week for 10 weeks at a

certain time.

At the end of the experimental period, the experimental animals were fasted

for 12 hours or longer, and then blood was collected through retro-orbital blood

collection and left at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer, followed by

centrifugation at 1,690 x g for 10 minutes to separate serum, and the serum was used

in an experiment. The liver tissue, epididymal fat tissue, retroperitoneal fat tissue,

inguinal fat tissue, and interscapular brown adipose tissue were extracted and washed

with saline to remove moisture, and white fat attached to the interscapular brown fat

tissue was removed, and then the weight of each fat was measured.

Table 3

Classification Experimental groups (N = 10) ND Normal control fed normal diet (ND, 10% fat), orally administered 100 pl/head of PBS 5 times a week for 10 weeks HFD Negative control fed high fat feed for inducing obesity (Rodent diet with 45%kcal Fat, Research Diets, USA), orally administered 100 pl/head of PBS 5 times a week for 10 weeks L. paracasei After high fat feed for inducing obesity was ingested, 5x107 CFU/head of

AO356 finally selected Lactobacillus paracasei AO356 strain was orally administered 5 times a week for 10 weeks

C. Body Weight, Feed Intake, and Drinking Water Volume

For all experimental groups, the body weight change (g), feed intake (g), and

drinking water volume (ml) of experimental animals were measured from the time of

feeding feed until the experimental animals were sacrificed. Feed intake and water

intake were measured every day, cages were changed twice a week, and body weight

was measured once a week for comparison.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the results of measuring a body weight change

according to week in each experimental group. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the results

of analyzing weight gain in each experimental group. The feed intake (g/day), the

drinking water intake (g/day), and calorie consumption (kcal/day) are shown in Table

4.

Table 4

ND HFD L. paracasei P value A0356 Average daily food 3.56±0.05 2.64±0.04 2.55±0.05 <0.001 intake (g/day) Average daily water 3.81±0.08 2.96±0.09 2.99±0.20 0.003 intake (g/day) Average daily calorie 12.83±0.17 13.36±0.21 12.88±0.23 N.S. intake_(kcal/day) ________________________ _____

According to FIGS. 10 and 11 and Table 4, it can be seen that, as a result of

administering the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain to mice fed high fat feed for

10 weeks, an effect of significantly inhibiting weight gain is shown, compared to the

HFD group fed only high fat feed.

That is, since it was confirmed that a body weight that is 10.63% lower than

that in the HFD group fed high fat feed was obtained, it was confirmed that, although

high fat feed was ingested, the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain inhibited weight

gain by 31.33% compared to the HFD group, from which it can be seen that the

LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain has an effect of inhibiting weight gain.

The amount of calories consumed was calculated from feed intake. The

average daily feed intake and water intake showed significant differences between the

ND and HFD groups. This is expected to be due to the difference in the composition

and properties of the feed, and it was confirmed that, while the ND group ingested

more feed than the HFD group, the water intake also increased.

It is confirmed that the HFD group and L. paracaseiA0356 group showed

no difference in feed intake, water intake, and calorie consumption, from which it can

be seen that, the activity of inhibiting weight gain of the Lactobacillus paracasei

A0356 strain, which was demonstrated through the previous experiments, was not due

to a decrease in feed intake or calorie consumption.

D. Analysis of Liver, Epididymal Fat, Retroperitoneal Fat, Inguinal Fat,

and Interscapular Fat

At the end of the experimental period, the experimental animals were fasted

for 12 hours or longer, and then liver tissue, epididymal fat tissue, retroperitoneal fat

tissue, inguinal fat tissue, and interscapular brown adipose tissue were extracted and

washed with saline to remove moisture, and white fat attached to the interscapular

brown adipose tissue was removed. Then, weight in contrast to body weight was measured, and the results thereof are shown in Table 5 below and FIGS. 12A to 12E.

In Table 5 and FIGS. 12A to 12E, Liver denotes liver fat, EFT denotes epididymal fat

tissue, RFT denotes retroperitoneal fat tissue, IFT denotes inguinal fat tissue, and

iBAT denotes interscapular brown adipose tissue.

Table 5

Tissue weight ND HFD HFD + P value (mg) L. paracaseiA0356 Liver 834.6±15.48 916.16±28.37 838.88±17.99 N.S. EFT 270.49±9.51a 1741.68±188.37c 1149.36±104.3 1 b <0.001 RFT 82.00±22.96a 642.58±57.26c 4 14 .01±50.2 5b <0.001 IFT 159.19±14.20a 873.74±84.50c 5 6 7 . 8 9 ± 5 4 .8ob <0.001 iBAT 54.27±2.59a 88.10±5.91c 64.05±5.43b 0.001 Serum leptin 0.296±0.034a 7.200±1.482c 3 .4 3 5 ±0.7 5 6b <0.001 (pg/mi)

According to FIG. 12 and Table 5, it was confirmed that the HFD group fed

a high fat diet exhibited a slight increase in the weight of liver tissue compared with

the ND group and the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356-administered group.

It can also be confirmed that the HFD group fed a high fat diet exhibited great

increases in the weights of epididymal fat tissue (EFT), retroperitoneal fat tissue (RFT),

inguinal fat tissue (IFT), and interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT), whereas,

when Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 was administered, each tissue exhibited a

significant decrease in fat weight.

On the other hand, serum leptin, which is a cytokine secreted from adipose

tissue, is known to increase in proportion to an increase in adipose tissue, and is one

of the representative indicators of obesity. As a result of examining a change in fat

weight, it can be seen that the HFD group fed a high fat diet exhibited an increase in fat weight, whereas, when Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 was administered, a significant decrease in fat weight was shown.

E. Serum biochemical analysis

When the experiment was completed, the animal model was fasted for 12

hours or longer, and then blood was collected through retro-orbital blood collection

and left at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer, followed by centrifugation at

1,690 x g for 10 minutes to separate serum, and the serum was used.

By using the serum, the concentrations of insulin and leptin in the serum were

measured using an ELISA-based assay kit. Homeostasis model assessment for

insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated using Equation 1 below by using the

measured serum glucose and serum insulin concentrations. Serum triglycerides,

HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were measured using

colorimetry, and serum glucose concentrations were measured using UV

spectrophotometry.

[Equation 1]

HOMA-IR = fasting glucose (mg/dL) X fasting insulin (ptU/mL)/2430

FIG. 13 is a set of graphs showing LDL-cholesterol (a), triglycerides (TG)

(b), HDL-cholesterol (c), glucose (d), insulin (e), and HOMA-IR (f), which were

measured in serum isolated from each experimental group according to Experimental

Example 5 of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, when a high fat diet is repeatedly ingested (HFD

group), blood glucose and insulin concentrations are increased, and hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia are induced, promoting insulin resistance. This was also confirmed through the experimental examples of the present disclosure.

Specifically, it was confirmed that the HFD group exhibited a significant

increase in blood glucose and insulin concentrations compared with the ND group.

Furthermore, it was confirmed that, when a LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain was

administered (L. paracasei A0356 group), overall decreases in LDL cholesterol,

triglycerides (TG), HDL-cholesterol, glucose, and insulin were shown.

It was also confirmed that HOMA-IR, which is calculated using fasting blood

glucose and insulin concentrations and is used as an indicator of insulin resistance, was

also increased in the HFD group, whereas a significant decrease in HOMA-IR was

shown in an L. paracasei A0356 group fed the same diet, but administered the

LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain.

Insulin inhibits lipolysis in adipocytes and transports blood fatty acids and

glucose into cells to accumulate in the form of triglycerides. As in the HFD group,

the action of insulin does not work properly in an insulin-resistant state, resulting in

promoted dissociation of fatty acids and decreased activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL),

and consequently, dyslipidemia, in which LDL cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood

increase, may occur. That is, it was confirmed that, in the HFD group, dyslipidemia,

in which serum triglyceride and LDD cholesterol concentrations increase, occurred,

but such a phenomenon could be significantly reduced in the L. paracaseiA0356

group fed the same high fat diet, but administered the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356

strain.

F. RNA Precipitation and qPCR Analysis

The epididymal white fat tissue of each experimental group was partially cut

and total RNA was extracted using an RNeasy lipid tissue kit, and cDNA was

synthesized using oligo-dT primers. qPCR was performed using a SYBR green

qPCR (Qiagen) kit.

FIG. 14 is a set of graphs showing the results of analyzing the mRNA

expression levels of lipometabolism-related genes after extracting RNA from

epididymal white fat tissue isolated from each experimental group and performing

qPCR analysis thereon, according to Experimental Example 5 of the present disclosure.

In general, it is known that brown fat among adipose tissues in the body is

responsible for energy consumption through heat generation, and white fat is

responsible for storing energy in the form of fat. Therefore, in the present disclosure,

it was examined whether the LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain, which was finally

selected, coverts white fat into brown fat to thereby have the effect of treating diseases

such as obesity.

An increase in the expression rate of UCP1 in white fat promotes the heat

generating ability of mitochondria of white fat, the browning/beige fat of white fat is

promoted by the increase in the expression rate of the UCP1 gene through a p3

adrenergic agonist, cold exposure, or exercise, and anti-obesity effects through a

reduction in body fat, and the like have been reported.

UCP1 plays an important role in the browning of white visceral fat.

Referring to FIG. 14, it can be confirmed that the expression rate of the UCP1 gene,

which had been decreased in the HFD group, was restored in the L. paracaseiA0356 group.

In addition, PGCIa is a gene that plays an important role in the browning of

white fat by promoting the expression rate of the FNDC5 protein that secretes irisin,

which is a hormone that promotes the expression of UCP1, and it can be seen that the

expression rate of PGCla was reduced in the HFD group, whereas the expression rate

of PGCla was significantly restored in the L. paracaseiA0356 group.

In addition, it can be seen that the expression levels of the PRDM16, Cidea,

and PPARy genes were increased via administration of the Lactobacillus paracasei

A0356 strain, wherein these genes are transcriptional factors that regulate gene

programming for browning of white adipose tissue.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed in FIG. 14C that CD36, which had been reduced

in the HFD group, was significantly increased by administration of the Lactobacillus

paracaseiA0356 strain, which is necessary for the normal function of brown fat, and

particularly, fatty acids play a role in moving polyunsaturated fatty acids into cells,

and such polyunsaturated fatty acids act as ligands with the highest affinity, activating

PPARy.

Taken together, it was confirmed that, when the Lactobacillus paracasei

A0356 strain was administered to an animal model with high fat diet-induced obesity,

the strain not only had anti-obesity activity such as a reduction in body fat and

inhibition of weight gain by a high fat diet, but also had an effect of increasing the

expression of genes related to the browning of white fat.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, a Lactobacillus paracasei

A0356 strain according to the present disclosure, which is a strain isolated from the human body, has high stability, exhibits the ability to inhibit adipogenic differentiation in vitro and the activity of inducing the differentiation of M1 and MO macrophages into M2 macrophages, and has excellent activity of alleviating, preventing, or treating obesity, such as the activity of reducing body weight and a reduction in blood lipid concentration through the browning of white fat in animal experiments. Thus, the novel strain of the present disclosure has a low possibility of causing side effects, and therefore, unlike conventional diet functional foods or drugs, which have side effect problems, a diet effect can be exhibited without controlling the dose thereof.

Accordingly, the novel strain can be used as a pharmaceutical composition for treating

or preventing obesity or a food composition for alleviating or preventing obesity.

Therefore, the novel strain according to the present disclosure can be used as

a novel medical substance that is effective in preventing, alleviating, and treating

obesity.

It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be

considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be

considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it

will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form

and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined

by the following claims.

Claims (11)

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A LactobacillusparacaseiA03 56 strain (KCCM12145P)having anti

obesity activity.

2. A probiotic or food composition comprising the Lactobacillus

paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P)of claim 1 or a culture medium thereof.

3. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the Lactobacillus

paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P)of claim 1 or a culture medium thereof.

4. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 3, wherein the Lactobacillus

paracaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P)or the culture medium thereof is included in

an amount of about 0.01 wt% to about 50 wt% with respect to a total weight of the

composition.

5. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 3 or 4, wherein the

composition inhibits adipogenic differentiation.

6. The pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein

the composition induces differentiation into M2 type macrophages.

7. The pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein

the composition reduces body weight.

8. The pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 3 to 7, when

used for preventing or treating obesity..

9. A food composition when used for preventing or alleviating obesity,

the food composition comprising the Lactobacillus paracasei A0356 strain

(KCCM12145P)of claim 1 or a culture medium thereof.

10. A food composition when used for alleviating inflammation

caused by obesity, the food composition comprising the Lactobacillus paracasei

A0356 strain (KCCM12145P)of claim 1 or a culture medium thereof.

10. A method for preventing or alleviating obesity, or alleviating

inflammation caused by obesity, the method comprising administering to a subject an

effective dose of LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P), the probiotic

or food composition of claim 2, or a pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims

3 to 7.

11. Use of LactobacillusparacaseiA0356 strain (KCCM12145P) for the

manufacture of a medicament for preventing or alleviating obesity, or alleviating

inflammation caused by obesity.