Punicic acid ameliorates obesity and liver steatosis by regulating gut microbiota composition in mice

et al. 2021

Foods

As the largest immune organ of the human body, the intestine also plays a vital role in nutrient digestion and absorption. Some vegetables are considered to have improvement effects on the intestine. This experiment explored the effects of freeze-dried asparagus, broccoli and cabbage powder on the intestinal immune homeostasis and microflora of mice. Thirty-two mice were divided into four groups (n = 8), including control group (fed normal diet), asparagus group (fed normal diet with 5% asparagus power), broccoli group (fed normal diet with 5% broccoli power) and cabbage group (fed normal diet with 5% cabbage power). The experiment lasted 21 days. The results showed that the serum immunoglobulin concentration (IgA and IgM) and intestinal cytokine content (like IFN-γ and TNF-α) were increased after vegetable powder supplement. The experiment also detected that vegetable powder supplementation changed intestinal flora and their metabolites (short-chain fatty acid), which showed that the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Bacteroides were decreased, while the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus as well as propionic acid and butyric acid contents were increased. Together, these vegetable powders, especially cabbage, changed the intestinal immune response and microbial activity of mice.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Vegetable Powders Modulate Immune Homeostasis and Intestinal Microbiota in Mice

Zou

et al. 2021

Foods

“…All animal experimental procedures used in this study ( Figure 1 ) were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Ethical Committee Nanchang University (Permission number: SYXK2019-0021). The animal experimental design was based on the method provided by Yuan et al [ 28 ] with slight modifications. Twenty-four 6-week-old Sprague–Dawley rats were bought from Tian Qin Biotechnology (Changsha, China).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Regulatory Effects of Citrus Peel Powder on Liver Metabolites and Gut Flora in Mice with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Ruan

et al. 2021

Foods

Gannan navel orange and Jinggang pomelo, belonging to the genus Citrus, are good sources of phenolic compounds, which are mainly concentrated in the peel. These phenolic compounds are considered promising in the prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In order to maximize nutrients retention and bioactivity in the peel, pomelo peel and orange peel were processed using freeze-drying technology and mixed in the ratio (pomelo peel powder 50% and orange peel powder 50%) to make citrus peel powder (CPP). The purpose of this study was to explore new strategies and mechanisms associated with the consumption of CPP to alleviate nonalcoholic fatty liver injury, lipid metabolism disorders, and gut microbiota dysbiosis in obese mice induced by high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that after 12 weeks of CPP administration, CPP supplementation had a strong inhibitory effect on HFD-induced weight gain, hepatic fat accumulation, dyslipidemia, and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In particular, CPP modulates the composition of the intestinal flora, such as increasing the relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes, genus Faecalibaculum, genus Lactobacillus, genus Dubosiella, and genus Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_ group and decreasing the relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidota, genus Helicobacter, and genus Bacteroides. These results suggest that CPP has a preventive effect on NAFLD, which can be related to the regulation of intestinal flora.

“…As a result, the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio did not decrease but increased, consistent with the results of Du et al ( 39 ) and Shen et al ( 59 ). According to existing literature, the first reason for this finding may be the difference in animal models and experimental conditions ( 60 ). The second reason may be that the intervention time was too short, and the classification phylum was at a higher level ( 18 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anaerotruncus produces butyric acid, which is associated with obesity ( 61 ). Roseburia produces SCFAs that are associated with obesity ( 60 ). Akkermansia is an anti-obesity bacterium that can improve intestinal barrier integrity ( 62 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulatory Effect of Mung Bean Peptide on Prediabetic Mice Induced by High-Fat Diet

Tian

et al. 2022

Front. Nutr.

Dietary supplementation with mung bean peptides (MBPs) has several health benefits. However, the effect of MBPs on prediabetes and gut microbiota imbalance caused by a high-fat diet (HFD) has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, dietary supplementation with MBPs for 5 weeks significantly reduced HFD-induced body weight gain, hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia, insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress and alleviated liver and kidney damage in mice. In addition, it significantly reversed the HFD-induced gut microbiota imbalance, increased the gut microbial diversity, and decreased the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in prediabetic mice. Furthermore, we identified Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136 and Lactobacillus as important eubacteria with the potential to alleviate the clinical symptoms of prediabetes. According to PICRUSt2 analysis, the changes in intestinal microflora induced by MBPs diet intervention may be related to the downregulation of expression of genes such as rocR, lysX1, and grdA and regulation of seven pathways, including pyruvate, succinic acid, and butyric acid. Moreover, 17 genera with significantly altered levels in the intestine of HFD-fed mice, including Akkermansia, Roseburia, and Ruminiclostridium, were significantly correlated with 26 important differential metabolites, such as D-glutathione, anti-oleic acid, and cucurbitacin. Overall, these results show that MBPs diet intervention plays a key role in the management of HFD-induced prediabetes.