ABSTRACT With the rapid expansion of the probiotics industry, the management of spent culture media has emerged as a pressing concern. However, it also represents a potential resource for functional food development. In this study, we investigated and screened anti‐hyperuricemia (HUA) metabolites of Lactobacillus paracasei (LP) from spent media (META). Administration of META significantly reduced serum uric acid (UA) (SUA) levels ( p < 0.05), improved kidney function, and alleviated inflammatory infiltration. Furthermore, META modulated UA metabolism by regulating key enzymes (xanthine oxidase XOD and adenosine deaminase ADA) and urate transporters (organic anion transporter 3 OAT3, glucose transporter 9 GLUT9, and urate transporter 1 URAT1), while mitigating HUA‐induced inflammation through the Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa‐B (NF‐κB) pathway. To identify bioactive compounds, untargeted metabolomics based on UHPLC‐QTOF‐MS/MS detected 361 upregulated metabolites. Network pharmacology and molecular docking (MD) analyses further highlighted potential candidates, including 2‐isopropylmaleate and ricinoleic acid methyl ester. Collectively, these findings suggest that probiotic culture media waste may serve as a promising natural source for the development of anti‐HUA functional foods. Further studies are warranted to assess the bioavailability and efficacy of these metabolites both in vitro and in vivo.
Zhang et al. (2026) studied this question.