Gut microbiota of Suncus murinus, a naturally obesity-resistant animal, improves the ecological diversity of the gut microbiota in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice

Abstract

Objective: The global population of obese individuals is increasing, affecting human health. High-fat diets are a leading cause of this epidemic, and animal models, such as mice, are often used in related research. Obese individuals have a different gut microbiota composition from non-obese ones, characterized by a sizeable population of certain bacteria associated with fat storage. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in regulating human physiological and metabolic functions. Links between obesity, high-fat diets and gut microbiota have become hot topics of discussion. Recently, research on the modulation of the gut microbiota has focused on fecal microbiota transplantation, which has been recognized as an effective method of studying the function of gut microbiota. Methods: In this study, the naturally obesity-resistant animal Suncus murinus was used as a donor for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). C57BL/6NCrSIc mice were used as recipients, and changes in their gut flora were analyzed using a 16S rRNA gene analysis. Results: The study found that, after the FMT procedure, the FMT group tended to have a lower body weight than the control group. At the phylum level, the most predominant phyla in all groups were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, while Deferribacteres was not detected in the FMT or antibiotic administration groups, and Bacteroidetes was not present in the antibiotic administration group. At the genus level, the FMT group had significantly lower OTU richness than the control group but greater diversity than the control group. Conclusion: These results indicate that FMT from Suncus murinus can help reorganize and improve the gut microbiota of mice in a balanced and diverse ecosystem.