Weight-loss in obese dogs promotes important shifts in fecal microbiota profile to the extent of resembling microbiota of lean dogs

Henrique Tobaro Macedo,Juliana Toloi Jeremias,Matheus Vinicius Macegoza,Júlio César De Carvalho Balieiro,Andressa Rodrigues Amaral,Thiago Henrique Annibale Vendramini,Marcio Antonio Brunetto,Mariana Fragoso Rentas,Eduardo Ferriolli,Karina Pfrimer,Cristiana Ferreira Fonseca Pontieri

doi:10.1186/s42523-021-00160-x

Henrique Tobaro Macedo, Juliana Toloi Jeremias + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-021-00160-x

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Abstract

BackgroundAmong the undesirable changes associated with obesity, one possibility recently raised is dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Studies have shown changes in microbiota in obese rats and humans, but there are still few studies that characterize and compare the fecal microbiota of lean, obese and dogs after weight loss. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of a weight loss program (WLP) in fecal microbiota of dogs in addition to comparing them with those of lean dogs. Twenty female dogs of different breeds, aged between 1 and 9 years were selected. They were equally divided into two groups: Obese group (OG), with body condition score (BCS) 8 or 9/9, and body fat percentage greater than 30%, determined by the deuterium isotope dilution method, and lean group (LG) with BCS 5/9, and maximum body fat of 15%. Weight loss group (WLG) was composed by OG after loss of 20% of their current body weight. Fecal samples were collected from the three experimental groups. Total DNA was extracted from the feces and these were sequenced by the Illumina methodology. The observed abundances were evaluated using a generalized linear model, considering binomial distribution and using the logit link function in SAS (p < 0.05).ResultsThe WLP modulated the microorganisms of the gastrointestinal tract, so that, WLG and LG had microbial composition with greater biodiversity than OG, and intestinal uniformity of the microbiota (Pielou’s evenness index) was higher in OG than WLG dogs (P = 0.0493) and LG (P = 0.0101). In addition, WLG had values of relative frequency more similar to LG than to OG.ConclusionThe fecal microbiota of the studied groups differs from each other. The weight loss program can help to reverse the changes observed in obese dogs.

Highlights

Among the undesirable changes associated with obesity, one possibility recently raised is dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota
Weight loss program The weight loss programs started on October 13, 2017 and ended with the weight loss of the last dog on July 17, 2018
The animals selected to compose the obese group (OG) had a higher body condition score (BCS) than the animals in the lean group (LG) (P < 0.001) and, after weight loss, there was no difference between the weight loss group (WLG) compared to the LG (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Among the undesirable changes associated with obesity, one possibility recently raised is dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Few studies have revealed that the host intestinal microbiota is directly associated with changes in metabolic functions, and with obesity [28]. They showed that obesity affects the relative abundance of the main bacterial groups present in the intestine in mice, in addition, these animals were more efficient in obtaining energy from food than lean animals. Other studies showed an association between obesity and changes in the metabolic function of the intestinal microbiota, obese mice had a relative increase in bacterial groups that were more efficient in the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids [29]. They observed that after six weeks of microbiota infusion the insulin sensitivity of the receptors increased, along with the levels of butyrate-producing intestinal microbiota

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