Fig. 1: L. reuteri ZJ617 alleviates the feature of metabolic syndrome in HFD-fed mice.

a Study design of L. reuteri ZJ617 intervention experiment. Mice were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 9 per group). LFD-fed mice were provided with fresh drinking water on a daily basis. High-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were treated with fresh drinking water or L. reuteri ZJ617 (10⁹ CFU/mL) in drinking water for 14 weeks. The drinking water was refreshed every day. The figure is drawn by Adobe Illustrator CC 2018. b Body weights were measured throughout the 14 weeks period and the end of the experiment (c) body weight gain was calculated. d Effect of L. reuteri ZJ617 administration on energy metabolism, including oxygen consumption, CO₂, and heat production assessed after 4 weeks of intervention. e Rectal temperatures from all three groups of mice. The effects of L. reuteri ZJ617 on glucose tolerance measured by (f) oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Right: Area under the curve (AUC). The effects of L. reuteri ZJ617 on insulin tolerance measured by (g) insulin tolerance test (ITT). Right: Area under the curve (AUC). h HOMA-IR was calculated by fasting blood glucose (mmol/L) × fasting insulin (mIU/L)/22.5. i Representative H&E picture of WAT (scale bars, 100 μm). j WAT weight. k Frequency distribution of adipocyte cell sizes. l Representative TEM images of e-WAT (scale bars, 0.5 μm). m Protein levels of ADRB3 and UCP1 in WAT (n = 6 per group). n mRNA levels of non-shivering thermogenesis-related genes relative to Gapdh in WAT (n = 6 per group). LFD group served as a reference and is represented by a dashed line. Data were shown as mean ± SD. Significances in all panels are calculated based on one-way ANOVA with Dunnett tests for multiple-group comparisons, with the exception of (m, n) calculated based on two-tailed t-tests. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.