The effects of antibiotics and melatonin on hepato-intestinal inflammation and gut microbial dysbiosis induced by a short-term high-fat diet consumption in rats

Abstract

High-fat diet (HFD) consumption leads to metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal dysfunction and intestinal dysbiosis. Antibiotics also disrupt the composition of intestinal microbiota. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of a short-term feeding with HFD on oxidative status, enteric microbiota, intestinal motility and the effects of antibiotics and/or melatonin treatments on diet-induced hepato-intestinal dysfunction and inflammation. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were pair-fed with either standard chow or HFD (45 % fat) and were given tap water or melatonin (4 mg/kg per d) or melatonin plus antibiotics (ABX; neomycin, ampicillin, metronidazole; each 1 g/l) in drinking water for 2 weeks. On the 14th day, colonic motility was measured and the next day intestinal transit was assessed using charcoal propagation. Trunk blood, liver and intestine samples were removed for biochemical and histopathological evaluations, and faeces were collected for microbiota analysis. A 2-week HFD feeding increased blood glucose level and perirenal fat weight, induced low-level hepatic and intestinal inflammation, delayed intestinal transit, led to deterioration of epithelial tight junctions and overgrowth of colonic bacteria. Melatonin intake in HFD-fed rats reduced ileal inflammation, colonic motility and perirenal fat accumulation. ABX abolished increases in fat accumulation and blood glucose, reduced ileal oxidative damage, suppressed HFD-induced overgrowth in colonic bacteria, and reversed HFD-induced delay in intestinal transit; however, hepatic neutrophil accumulation, hepatic injury and dysfunction were further enhanced. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that even a short-term HFD ingestion results in hepato-intestinal inflammatory state and alterations in bacterial populations, which may be worsened with antibiotic intake, but alleviated by melatonin.

Melatonin activates ABCA1 via the BiP/NRF1 pathway to suppress high-cholesterol-induced apoptosis of mesenchymal stem cells

“…In the present study, we injected melatonin (30 mg/kg/day) for 12 days after wound formation. Consistent with our results, two studies found that the administration of melatonin (4-10 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks had no significant effect on serum cholesterol levels [31,32]. These differences can be attributed to the duration of melatonin administration.…”

Intermittent Fasting Reshapes the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome and Reduces Weight Gain More Effectively Than Melatonin in Mice

“…TEM of liver tissues was performed as previously described ( 25 , 26 ). The specimen was sectioned using a LEICA EM UC7 ultratome, and sections were stained with uranyl acetate and alkaline lead citrate.…”

The Effect of Short-chain Fatty Acid Supplementation on Acute Colonic Inflammation in Rats Fed With Western Diet: Role of the Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor-gamma

“…Despite publications showing that SCFAs induce ROS production, divergent anti-in ammatory and pro-in ammatory effects of SCFAs were also reported [63,64]. Prolonged intake of the obesogenic diet was reported to impair the gut barrier and cause colonic in ammation [65], while high-fat diet feeding for even 2 weeks has resulted in hepato-intestinal in ammatory state with alterations in bacterial populations [66]. When taken with the aforementioned studies, our current ndings suggest that the in ammatory state of the colon induced by consumption of WD could be acting as a preconditioning mechanism and protecting the colonic tissue against the future insults.…”