Jute nanocrystalline cellulose enhances stress resilience in Lactobacillus rhamnosus by modulating transcriptional homeostasis.

Probiotics, particularly Lactobacillus rhamnosus, are critical for gut health and immune function but encounter significant challenges from environmental stressors during production and gastrointestinal transit. This study demonstrated that jute-derived nanocrystalline cellulose (JNCC), a novel dietary fiber, at low doses (0.1-10 μg/mL), effectively protects L. rhamnosus against various stresses, including heat, oxidative, and antibiotic (such as kanamycin and ampicillin) treatment. Optimal protection was observed at 1 μg/mL JNCC, which preserved cellular morphology and viability under various stress conditions. Monosaccharide composition analysis revealed JNCC primarily comprising rhamnose (30.95 %), glucuronic acid (29.58 %), and galacturonic acid (20.61 %). Transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses further indicated that JNCC maintains probiotic resilience by significantly modulating the expression level of genes related to membrane protein transport and DNA integration pathways, thereby stabilizing transcriptional homeostasis. The work revealed JNCC as a promising low-dose prebiotic additive to enhance probiotic survival in implications for functional food and biomedical applications.