Abstract
The effects of Lactobacillus fermentum ATCC9338 on the metabolism of daidzein and on the composition of intestinal flora were assessed for adult mice. Lactobacillus fermentum ATCC9338 altered the equol production status in the in vitro incubation of daidzein with fecal flora of mice. For in vivo investigation, mice were fed an AIN-93M purified diet for 19 days followed by a 0.05% daidzein diet for 4 days in the in vivo experiment. The LD group received L. fermentum for 10 days. The control (CD) group did not receive lactic acid bacteria. In analysis of plasma isoflavonoids, plasma equol concentration tended to be high in the LD groups. However, no significant differences in plasma daidzein and equol concentrations were observed between the LD and CD groups. In analysis of the composition of intestinal flora, the occupation ratio of Lactobacillales was significantly higher in the LD group. We demonstrated that Lactobacillus fermentum ATCC9338 could affect the intestinal flora and in vitro fecal equol production in mice.
