Increase of Akkermansia muciniphila by a Diet Containing Japanese Traditional Medicine Bofutsushosan in a Mouse Model of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered a worldwide healthcare problem that mirrors the increased prevalence of obesity. Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the progression and treatment of NAFLD. Bofutsushosan (BTS), a pharmaceutical-grade Japanese traditional medicine, has long been prescribed in Japan for obesity and obesity-related syndrome. Although BTS has been reported to exert an anti-obesity effect in obese patients as well as various obesity-model animals, its effect on gut microbiota is unknown. Here, the effects of BTS on obesity, liver damage, and the gut microbiome in genetically obese mice, ob/ob, were studied. Seven-week-old ob/ob mice were fed a standard diet with (BTS group) or without (CONT group) 5% BTS for 4 weeks. By comparison to the CONT group, the BTS group showed reduced body weight gain and hyperlipidemia as well as improved liver function. Moreover, gut microbiota in the CONT and BTS group formed a significantly different cluster. Specifically, the genera Akkermansia, Bacteroides and an unknown genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae expanded dramatically in the BTS group. Noteworthy, the population of Akkermansia muciniphila, which is reported to elicit an anti-obesity effect and improve various metabolic abnormalities, was markedly increased (93-fold) compared with the CONT group. These results imply that BTS may be a promising agent for treating NAFLD.

Anti-Obesity Attributes; UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-Based Metabolite Profiling and Molecular Docking Insights of Taraxacum officinale

“…The HFD fed mice showed significantly higher AST and ALT levels than ND fed mice. Comparatively, higher levels of AST and ALT of HFD mice were most probably due to obesity generated metabolic abnormality in liver of obese mice [66]. Role of genetic responses could not be ignored in improvement of adipogenic situation during obesity development and propagation.…”

Native and Engineered Probiotics: Promising Agents against Related Systemic and Intestinal Diseases

“…Dietary intervention in mice on an HFD can increase the abundance of AM [ 142 ]. Interestingly, a large amount of research has shown that while using some substances (including grape polyphenols [ 143 ], epigallocatechin-3-gallate [ 144 ], rhubarb extract [ 145 ], polysaccharides obtained from Cordyceps militaris [ 146 ], protein-bound β-glucan [ 147 ], puerarin [ 148 ], Bofutsushosan [ 149 , 150 ], etc.) to combat obesity, it has also been found that they can regulate the abundance of AM to improve efficacy.…”

Effects of Nigella sativa, Camellia sinensis, and Allium sativum as Food Additives on Metabolic Disorders, a Literature Review

“…Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic disorder related to inflammation. Traditional medicine has been demonstrated to improve the liver dysfunction ( Nishiyama et al, 2020 ). Researchers reported that a mixture of aqueous extracts including N. sativa seeds and fenugreek (100 mg/kg) has an improving effect on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats.…”