Abstract
Hepatic steatosis is characterized by triglyceride accumulation within hepatocytes in response to a high calorie intake, and it may be related to intestinal microbiota disturbances. The prebiotic inulin is a naturally occurring polysaccharide with a high dietary fiber content. Here, we evaluate the effect of inulin on the intestinal microbiota in a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease model. Mice exposed to a standard rodent diet or a fat-enriched diet, were supplemented or not, with inulin. Liver histology was evaluated with oil red O and H&E staining and the intestinal microbiota was determined in mice fecal samples by 16S rRNA sequencing. Inulin treatment effectively prevents liver steatosis in the fat-enriched diet group. We also observed that inulin re-shaped the intestinal microbiota at the phylum level, were Verrucomicrobia genus significantly increased in the fat-diet group; specifically, we observed that Akkermansia muciniphila increased by 5-fold with inulin supplementation. The family Prevotellaceae was also significantly increased in the fat-diet group. Overall, we propose that inulin supplementation in liver steatosis-affected animals, promotes a remodeling in the intestinal microbiota composition, which might regulate lipid metabolism, thus contributing to tackling liver steatosis.
Highlights
Accepted: 21 December 2021Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome
As inulin is a prebiotic consisting of fermentable fiber and some of the beneficial effects of this fiber might be gained through the generation of secondary metabolites derived from the intestinal microbiota metabolism, we investigated the differences in the gut microbiota between cellulose- or inulin-supplemented diets
As inulin is a prebiotic consisting of fermentable fiber and some of the beneficial effects of this fiber might be gained through the generation of secondary metabolites derived from the intestinal microbiota metabolism, we investigated the differences in the 5 ofwe gut microbiota between cellulose- or inulin-supplemented diets
Summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the result of excessive calorie intake and a corresponding lack of energy expenditure, by physical activity or by UCP-mediated thermogenesis [1]. High-fat and sugar-enriched food are the core of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome risk factors, both of which directly modulate the intestinal and liver physiology, as well as the metabolic homeostasis of the whole body. One of the main factors found to be affected by these metabolic disturbances is the intestinal microbiota (IM). The IM represents a physical entity composed of diverse bacterial, fungal and viral phyla which contribute to regulate the host immune system, help to extract nutrients from the diet and may even contribute to mood control [2]. IM is related to the appearance and progression of several pathologies, among which is liver disease [3]
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