Enhancement in the nutritional profile and hepatoprotective activity of pine pollen via Aspergillus niger fermentation.

Fermentation with Aspergillus niger significantly enhances the hepatoprotective effects of pine pollen. This study evaluated the effects of Aspergillus niger-fermented pine pollen (FPP) against alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) using ethanol-induced HepG2 cells and an AFLD mouse model. In AFLD mice, FPP markedly reduced hepatic triglyceride levels from 1.47 ± 0.13 to 0.90 ± 0.11 mg/g and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from 2.27 ± 0.63 to 1.02 ± 0.15 U/mL, indicating significant alleviation of lipid accumulation and liver injury. Mechanistically, FPP suppressed lipogenesis by downregulating PPARγ and SREBP-1c, while promoting fatty acid oxidation through upregulation of PPARα and CPT1. Untargeted metabolomic analysis further revealed substantial fermentation-induced metabolic remodeling and identified six key metabolites closely correlated with improvements in liver injury, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress. Overall, these findings demonstrate that Aspergillus niger-fermented pine pollen may serve as a promising functional food for AFLD prevention.