Multi-functional Potential of Five Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains Derived from Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

The multi-functional properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on host health have been a popular research topic. The aim of present study was to assess the multi-functional potential of five LAB strains isolated from giant panda. In this study, we analyzed five giant panda LAB strains (Weissella confuse WJ202003 (W3), WJ202009 (W9), WJ202021 (W21), BSP201703 (X₃); Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BSGP201683 (G83)) and found that they exhibited rapid growth as well as strong acid production capacity. The five LAB strains possessed high cell surface hydrophobicity to the four tested solvents (xylene, hexadecane, chloroform, ethyl acetate; except strain W9), auto-aggregation ability, co-aggregation ability with three pathogens (Escherichia coli, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella), adhesion ability to Caco-2 cell line, and strongly biofilm formation ability, suggesting an adhesion property. As investigated for their antioxidative potential, all the strains showed good tolerance to H₂O₂, high scavenging ability against 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and hydroxyl (OH^-), and reduction ability. Furthermore, the five LAB strains could produce multiple probiotic substances, including exopolysaccharide (EPS), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), bile salt hydrolase (BSH), cellulase (only strain G83), and protease (except strain X₃), which was the first to report the production of EPS, GABA, BSH, cellulase, and protease in giant panda-derived LAB strain. These results demonstrated that strains W3, W9, W21, X₃, and G83 had multi-functional potential and could be utilized as potential probiotics for giant panda.