Abstract
Here, we investigated the roles and mechanisms of flavonoids from mulberry leaves (FML) on lipid metabolism in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. ICR mice were fed either a control diet (Con) or HFD with or without FML (240 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage for six weeks. FML administration improved lipid accumulation, alleviated liver steatosis and the whitening of brown adipose tissue, and improved gut microbiota composition in HFD-fed mice. Microbiota transplantation from FML-treated mice alleviated HFD-induced lipid metabolic disorders. Moreover, FML administration restored the production of acetic acid in HFD-fed mice. Correlation analysis identified a significant correlation between the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and the production of acetic acid, and between the production of acetic acid and the weight of selected adipose tissues. Overall, our results demonstrated that in HFD-fed mice, the lipid metabolism improvement induced by FML administration might be mediated by gut microbiota, especially Bacteroidetes-triggered acetic acid production.
Highlights
The health hazards of being overweight and obese have been well documented in the literature [1]
The results revealed that from mulberry leaves (FML) decreased body weight and lipid accumulation, reversed the whitening of brown adipose tissue (BAT), and induced a dramatic shift in the gut microbiota of high fat diets (HFD)-fed mice
Through gut microbiota transplantation and analyses of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), we found that improved lipid metabolism induced by FML was directly mediated by gut microbiota, and Bacteroidetes-mediated acetic acid production might possibly represent a protective mechanism for the beneficial events commented above
Summary
The health hazards of being overweight and obese have been well documented in the literature [1]. In support, overwhelming evidence has reported that the consumption of certain functional foods and extracts, such as grape seed extract [16], blueberry [17], cranberry [18], Jamun (Eugenia jambolana Lam.) fruit extract [19], and capsaicin [20] could confer protective effects against obesity via regulating the community structure and diversity of gut microbiota. Intrigued by these findings, we asked whether FML could exert anti-obese effects by regulating gut microbiota. Through gut microbiota transplantation and analyses of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), we found that improved lipid metabolism induced by FML was directly mediated by gut microbiota, and Bacteroidetes-mediated acetic acid production might possibly represent a protective mechanism for the beneficial events commented above
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