Isolation and identification of lactic acid bacteria from ginseng sprouts and research on their probiotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity

JeongOk Lee¹Selin Jung¹Ji-Eun Lee²Prof. Dr. Dr. Muhammad Hamayun^1,3Su Hwan Park²Young-Jin Choi²Eun-Kyung Kim⁴Jong-Ho Lee²Ho-Youn Kim^5,6Bokyung Lee^1,2*

• ¹Dong-A University Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Busan, Republic of Korea
• ²Dong-A University Department of Health Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
• ³Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
• ⁴Dong-A University Nutritional Education Major, Graduate School of Education, Busan, Republic of Korea
• ⁵Smart Farm Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Gangneung, Republic of Korea
• ⁶Natural Product Applied Science, Unversity of Science and Technology (UST), Gangneung, Republic of Korea

Introduction Ginseng sprouts are recognized as a potentially valuable food source as they provide an abundance bioactive compounds with antioxidants and anti-cancer properties. This study investigates the probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from ginseng sprouts, addressing gaps in plant-based probiotic discovery. Methods Seventeen putative LAB strains among 688 bacterial isolates were obtained from ginseng sprouts. Molecular identification via16S rRNA sequencing classified and selected five isolates into LAB taxa. Probiotic potential was evaluated via in vitro assays for gastrointestinal stress tolerance (pH 3.0 and 0.3% bile salt conditions), antibacterial activity, safety, and antioxidant activity (DPPH scavenging) as well as anti-inflammatory (TNF-α secretion) and cancer cell cytotoxicity (WST-8 assay and apoptosis induction). Results After 16S rRNA sequencing, five candidate probiotics strains from ginseng sprouts were identified, which include three strains of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (B7112, B3402 and B3421), Leuconostoc lactis (B34171), and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (B22051). In vitro assays evaluating their probiotic potential revealed that all five strains exhibited robust tolerance to acidic pH and the presence of bile salts, notable antibacterial activity, antibiotic susceptibility, and strong adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells. Notably, these LAB isolates demonstrated DPPH radical scavenging activity comparable to that of 25μM L-ascorbic acid, indicating significant antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that these LAB strains significantly downregulated TNF-α mRNA expression, reflecting substantial anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, protein extracts derived from LAB strains effectively inhibited cancer cell proliferation in vitro. Conclusion These findings highlight the therapeutic promise of plant-derived probiotic bacterial strains for potential applications in human health, particularly in inflammation and cancer prevention. Moreover, the successful isolation of probiotic LAB from ginseng sprouts underscores the potential of ginseng as a valuable source of health-promoting microbiota.