Modulation of the Gut Microbiota during High-Dose Glycerol Monolaurate-Mediated Amelioration of Obesity in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Abstract

Obesity and associated metabolic disorders are worldwide public health issues. The gut microbiota plays a key role in the pathophysiology of diet-induced obesity. Glycerol monolaurate (GML) is a widely consumed food emulsifier with antibacterial properties. Here, we explore the anti-obesity effect of GML (1,600 mg/kg of body weight) in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. HFD-fed mice were treated with 1,600 mg/kg GML. Integrated microbiome, metabolome, and transcriptome analyses were used to systematically investigate the metabolic effects of GML, and antibiotic treatment was used to assess the effects of GML on the gut microbiota. Our data indicated that GML significantly reduced body weight and visceral fat deposition, improved hyperlipidemia and hepatic lipid metabolism, and ameliorated glucose homeostasis and inflammation in HFD-fed mice. Importantly, GML modulated HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and selectively increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum. Antibiotic treatment abolished all the GML-mediated metabolic improvements. A multiomics (microbiome, metabolome, and transcriptome) association study showed that GML significantly modulated glycerophospholipid metabolism, and the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum strongly correlated with the metabolites and genes that participated in glycerophospholipid metabolism. Our results indicated that GML may be provided for obesity prevention by targeting the gut microbiota and regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism.

Glycerol monolaurate ameliorated intestinal barrier and immunity in broilers by regulating intestinal inflammation, antioxidant balance, and intestinal microbiota

“…Our data indicated that dietary treatment with 600 and mg/kg GML effectively reduced the relative mRNA expression of TLR4. Similar results were obtained in a mice experiment in which GML down-regulated TLR2 MyD88 expression in the liver, reducing systemic inflammation in high-fat-diet fed mice (6).…”

“…It is The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted May 22, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05. 19.444906 doi: bioRxiv preprint dose levels (6). Recent studies revealed that GML is an efficacious antibiotic growth promoter alternative for animal health (7) and has the potential to become a unique fungicide owing to its established safety, antibacterial properties, and immunomodulatory capacity (8).…”

“…Glycerol monolaurate with a supplementary dose of up to 5 g/kg to basal diets can enhance the immune status and intestinal histomorphology of broilers (3). In vivo, growth performance and intestinal development are improved by dietary GML in mice and laying hens through intestinal microbiota alteration (6).…”

Plasma Markers of Disrupted Gut Permeability in Severe COVID-19 Patients

“…The gut microbiota is heavily involved in these two interconnected pathways. 51 Gut microbial dysbiosis can alter the digestion and absorption of glycerophospholipids, leading to several diseases. 51-54 These data provide yet another layer of evidence that severe COVID-19 is associated with systemic dysregulations that are linked to disrupted gut function.…”

Effects of α-glyceryl monolaurate on growth, immune function, volatile fatty acids, and gut microbiota in broiler chickens

“…Our study found that after α-GML supplementation, VFA levels increased by day 28, but by day 56, they decreased. Previous studies have found that GML can have bacteriostatic effects ( Mueller and Schlievert, 2015 ) and can modulate intestinal microflora ( Mo et al., 2019 ; Zhao et al., 2020 ). This fact, combined with research by Kleessen et al.…”