Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder on high-fat diet-induced obesity and related lipid metabolism disorders, and further explored if this improvement is associated with gut microbiota. Results showed that seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder administration decreased body weight, Lee’s index, adipose tissue weight, liver weight, and serum lipid levels. Moreover, treatment with seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder effectively reduced fat accumulation by modulating the relative expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism through down-regulation of encoding lipogenic and store genes, including SREBP-1c, PPAR-γ, ACC, and SCD1, and up-regulation of regulating genes of fatty acid oxidation, including HSL, CPT-1, and ACOX. Especially, seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder regulated the composition of gut microbiota, such as increasing the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, decreasing relative abundance of harmful bacteria (Desulfovibrio), and increasing relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (Akkermansia and Bacteroides). The changes of beneficial bacteria had a positive correlation with genes encoding lipolysis and a negative correlation with genes encoding lipid lipogenesis and store. The harmful bacteria were just the opposite. Besides, changes in gut microbiota had an obvious effect in the secretion of main metabolites—short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially propionic acid. Thus, our results indicated that the seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder could ameliorate high-fat diet-induced obesity and obesity-associated lipid metabolism disorders by changing the composition and structure of gut microbiota.
Highlights
In recent years, changes in dietary patterns and unhealthy lifestyles have caused an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases [1]
The mice in the homogenate of seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder (HSFP) group significantly decreased body weight gain and Lee’s index (p < 0.05) compared to the HFD group (Figure 1C), suggesting that seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder treatment could prevent the obesity induced by the high-fat diet
We can observe that HFD feeding for 10 weeks led to a significant increase in liver weight compared with the normal control diet (NC) group (p < 0.05), and seabuckthorn freeze-dried powder treatment controlled the increase induced by the high-fat diet (Figure 2D)
Summary
Changes in dietary patterns and unhealthy lifestyles have caused an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases [1]. As a major public health problem, the prevention and treatment of obesity has become a research focus in recent years, and a growing number of literature have reported that dietary modifications, including the use of some plant-derived foods, offered an effective therapy to alleviate obesity and its complications [5]. Excessive dietary fat intake contributes to high circulation of fat in the bloodstream, and it increases adipose tissue and fat accumulation in the liver, leading to lipid metabolism disorders and obesity [6]. Some researchers observed that dietary interventions, especially food crammed with bioactive components, were potential strategies for alleviating obesity and its complications by modulating the gut microbiota [5,12]
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