Preparation and Evaluation of Microecological Agents Incorporating Probiotic-Fermented Traditional Chinese Medicine...

Selenium, probiotics, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have shown significant potential in disease prevention and treatment. However, the synergistic interactions between these components and their combined effects on gut health remain underexplored. Here, we developed a novel microecological agent by synthesizing selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and fermenting a TCM formulation (Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Atractylodes macrocephala, Medicated leaven, Sophora flavescens, Taraxacum mongolicum, and Prunus mume) with probiotics (Bacillus subtilis ACCC 19373, Kluyveromyces lactis GG 799, and Lactobacillus reuteri LR1) in an asynchronous manner. Results showed that fermentation process facilitated the decomposition of TCM cell walls, markedly facilitating the release and bioutilization of active ingredient, while significantly decreasing the contents of soluble total polysaccharide and increasing soluble total saponin contents, total flavonoids, and total alkaloids. During fermentation, sodium selenite was effectively converted into SeNPs by probiotics. The lyophilization protocol for the microecological preparation was optimized by adding 10% skim milk powder, 16% trehalose, and 0.9% sodium acetate at a ratio of 1:2 to the product, yielding a viable probiotic count 19.89 times higher than that of direct lyophilization. Dietary supplementation with the microecological agent significantly alleviated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal barrier damage, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities including total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), upregulated anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and downregulated pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Moreover, it restored intestinal microbiota homeostasis by enriching beneficial bacteria (e.g., Fusobacteriota, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group) and reducing harmful taxa (e.g., Parasutterella), with correlations of these microbes to inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant markers, suggesting that the protective effects may be mediated through microbiota-driven regulation of inflammation and oxidative stress. These findings demonstrate that this novel microecological agent is a promising strategy for preventing and treating intestinal injury, offering new insights into selenium biotransformation and the therapeutic potential of integrating probiotics with TCM for gut health.