Novel Chlorella pyrenoidosa peptides attenuate weight gain, insulin resistance, and lipid levels in mice fed a high-fat diet

Abstract

Obesity can cause a wide range of metabolic diseases, but safe and effective treatments are still lacking. Chlorella pyrenoidosa (C. pyrenoidosa) peptides have a variety of biological activities, but their lipid-lowering effects in vivo are rarely reported. In this study, one (SISISVAGGGR, T1) of the six C. pyrenoidosa peptides with the best lipid-lowering and gut microbial stability maintenance was screened. Then, the anti-obesity effects of different doses of T1 (300 mg/Kg/d, 100 mg/Kg/d) were evaluated in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that T1 supplementation alleviated HFD-induced weight gain and lipid accumulation, reduced fasting blood glucose and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and elevated high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. T1 improved insulin resistance and attenuated hepatic lipid accumulation and meta-inflammation in both liver and adipose tissues in obese mice. This study demonstrated a novel C. pyrenoidosa peptide as a potential prebiotic with beneficial effects on obesity and related metabolic disorders.