Novel Probiotic Strain XA-1416 Enables Active Fat and Weight Loss by Activating the Bile Acid–GLP-1 Metabolic Pathway

Obesity has become a global public health issue in contemporary times. Recently, a study published in the international journal Gut Microbes showed that the XA-1416 strain activates the "bile acid—GLP-1" metabolic pathway, enabling the body to secrete glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) on its own, allowing the body to "actively" achieve precise regulation of metabolism and weight.

The research was co-led by a team of experts including Associate Researcher Shi Lin from the College of Food Engineering and Nutrition Science at Shaanxi Normal University, and Professor Ricard Landberg from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, who were responsible for the overall design and mechanism exploration. Tan Yan, co-founder and CEO of Xbiome Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Xbiome"), is the co-corresponding author, in charge of the transformation of research results. Dai Xiaoshuang, Director of R&D at Xbiome, is the co-first author, leading the core experimental work including strain screening and mechanism validation.

In animal experiments, the research team divided healthy mice into a normal diet group, a high-fat diet group, a drug control group, and an XA-1416 intervention group. After 10 weeks of intervention, it was found that the XA-1416 strain effectively inhibited high-fat diet-induced weight gain, while also improving blood sugar and lipid disorders, and repairing intestinal and liver damage.

The research team introduced that, in addition to demonstrating the effectiveness of XA-1416, they also identified the key metabolic molecule "ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)" and, based on Mendelian randomization analysis of large-scale human genome data as well as extensive in vivo and in vitro validation, confirmed the central role of UDCA in weight regulation.

It is reported that oral UDCA can reproduce the anti-obesity effects and metabolic benefits of XA-1416, acting as an intestinal farnesoid X receptor (FXR) antagonist and a G protein-coupled bile acid receptor (TGR5) agonist, thereby stimulating GLP-1 secretion. This mechanism involves the regulation of the hepatic FXR/SHP/SREBP-1c signaling pathway while activating the GLP-1 receptor, ultimately improving systemic metabolic homeostasis.

Subsequent animal experiments and in vitro cell experiments further confirmed that UDCA can directly activate the GLP-1 receptor. All data and results also point to the same conclusion — XA-1416 is an anti-obesity probiotic with development and application potential, and UDCA is the key microbial metabolite mediating its beneficial metabolic effects.

Xbiome Team Introduces XA-1416 Strain: Directly Impacting Human Metabolic Hormones, Achieving "Single-Strain Precision Regulation of Metabolic Pathways," Marking a New Phase in Probiotic Development from "Multi-Strain Vague Effectiveness" to "Single-Strain Precision Regulation." Compared with other non-food-grade strains or genetically engineered strains, the XA-1416 strain offers greater safety assurance and is suitable for long-term consumption and product transformation.

(Photograph provided by the research team)