Inulin Can Alleviate Metabolism Disorders in ob/ob Mice by Partially Restoring Leptin-Related Pathways Mediated by Gut Microbiota

Abstract

Inulin has been used as a prebiotic to alleviate glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in mice and humans by modulating the gut microbiota . However, the mechanism underlying the alleviation of metabolic disorders by inulin through interactions between the gut microbiota and host cells is unclear. We use ob/ob mice as a model to study the effect of inulin on the cecal microbiota by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and its interaction with host cells by transcriptomics. The inulin-supplemented diet improved glucose and lipid metabolism disorder parameters in ob/ob mice, alleviating fat accumulation and glucose intolerance. The α diversity of gut microbial community of ob/ob mice was reduced after inulin treatment, while the β diversity tended to return to the level of wild type mice. Interestingly, Prevotellaceae UCG 001 (family Prevotellaceae) was obviously enriched after inulin treatment. A comparative analysis of the gene expression profile showed that the cecal transcriptome was changed in leptin gene deficiency mice, whereas the inulin-supplemented diet partially reversed the changes in leptin gene-related signaling pathways, especially AMPK signaling pathway, where the levels of gene expression became comparable to those in wild type mice. Further analysis indicated that Prevotellaceae UCG 001 was positively correlated with the AMPK signaling pathway, which was negatively correlated with markers of glycolipid metabolism disorders. Our results suggest that the inulin-supplemented diet alleviates glucose and lipid metabolism disorders by partially restoring leptin related pathways mediated by gut microbiota.

Dynamic alterations in early intestinal development, microbiota and metabolome induced by in ovo feeding of L-arginine in a layer chick model

“…Prevotella possesses enzymes that can degrade cellulose and xylan to produce propionate used for host [48]. What's more, the previous study reported that the abundance of Prevotellaceae_ UCG_001 was negatively correlated with the blood parameters about glucose and lipid [49]. It was thus speculated that Prevotellaceae_UCG_001 might contribute to the host glucose and lipid metabolism through the production of propionate.…”

Inulin supplementation ameliorates hyperuricemia and modulates gut microbiota in Uox-knockout mice

“…Inulin has been used as a prebiotic to alleviate metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes by modulating the gut microbiota [28][29][30]. The present study was performed to assess the long-term influences of inulin on experimental hyperuricemic mice and its possible mechanisms.…”

Effects of dietary fibres on gut microbial metabolites and liver lipid metabolism in growing pigs

“…Several mechanisms may explain the changes in hepatic lipid content. The butyrate produced in intestinal lumen, which is an energy source for colonocytes, can activate the AMPK signalling pathway in intestinal epithelium, inhibiting hepatic cholesterol and fatty acids synthesis (Gao et al., 2019; Rumberger, Arch, & Green, 2014; Song et al., 2019). In our study, a combined wheat bran fibre and inulin diet feeding tended to reduce the butyrate concentrations in colon, which may lead to a reduced inhibition of hepatic lipid accumulation.…”

“…Previous studies reported that fibre‐enriched diets may positively influence host lipid metabolism and improve metabolic syndrome via increasing the short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentrations in the gut (Anderson et al., 2009; Ruderman, Carling, Prentki, & Cacicedo, 2013; Song et al., 2019). However, several studies showed that the addition of dietary fibres, especially fermentable fibres, will lead to hepatic dysfunction and liver inflammation (Singh et al., 2018; Zhu et al., 2019).…”