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Whitening Efficacy of Bird's Nest Filtrate Fermented With Bacillus subtilis FZU‐S10: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Edible bird's nest (EBN) is a valued nutraceutical, yet its bioactivity is limited by macromolecular complexity. This study examined the effects of Bacillus subtilis FZU‐S10 fermentation on EBN composition, bioactivity, and anti‐melanogenic mechanisms. Fermentation increased peptide concentration (5–11.5 mg·mL −1 ) and low‐molecular‐weight peptides (500–1000 Da, from 14.0% to 75.1%), altered N‐terminal amino acids, and elevated sialic acid and polysaccharides. These changes enhanced tyrosinase inhibition (40%–70%) and antioxidant activity. In cells, fermented EBN filtrate (F‐EBNF) dose‐dependently reduced melanin content and tyrosinase activity, and suppressed LPS‐induced IL‐6 more effectively than unfermented EBN (U‐EBNF). In zebrafish, F‐EBNF significantly inhibited melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that F‐EBNF modulated the expression of a greater number of genes than U‐EBNF, with KEGG analysis highlighting “melanogenesis” as the most affected pathway. The results suggested that fermentation enhances the whitening effect of EBN by downregulating key genes in the Wnt/β‐catenin and Endothelin‐1/PLC pathways, including AC , Frizzled , Gαi/q , PLC , and CAM , which led to suppression of MITF and tyrosinase. Overall, fermentation transforms the macromolecular composition of EBN and enhances its bioactivity by modulating multiple melanogenesis‐related signaling pathways. Practical Applications The content of peptides in fermented bird's nest filtrate (F‐EBNF) was increased. F‐EBNF enhanced tyrosinase inhibition and antioxidant activity. F‐EBNF suppressed melanin synthesis in cells and zebrafish models. Transcriptomics showed F‐EBNF downregulated key melanogenesis pathways.

Source: Journal of Food Science

DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.70798