Prebiotic inulin and sodium butyrate attenuate barrier dysfunction by induction of antimicrobial peptides in diet-induced obese mice

Abstract

Rationale: An impaired intestinal barrier function has been associated with obesity and plays a critical role in the development of the disease. Mice fed a high-fat and high-sugar Western-style diet (WSD) show not only an impaired intestinal barrier function but also a decreased α-defensin expression in the ileum suggesting that diet-induced barrier dysfunction involves impaired antimicrobial peptide function.