Serum metabolomics analysis of the intervention effect of whole grain oats on insulin resistance induced by high-fat diet in rats

Simulated digestion and gut microbiota fermentation of polysaccharides from Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka mushroom

Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka is a popular edible mushroom known for its delicious flavor and health benefits. Its polysaccharides (LHP) exhibit significant bioactivity, but their application is limited due to uncertainties in digestion. This study used in vitro simulated models to explore the dynamic changes of LHP during the digestive and fermentation process and validated them through mouse models. Results revealed that LHP cannot be digested by the simulated digestive system, but is primarily degraded into fatty acids by gut microbes, accompanied by reductions in molecular weight, carbohydrate content, and pH. Additionally, LHP promotes the proliferation of beneficial bacteria (Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, etc.), while inhibiting harmful bacteria (Escherichia and Shigella). Metabolite analysis in serum indicated that LHP can regulate amino acid and lipid metabolism, enhancing overall health. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for developing LHP as a potential prebiotic, highlighting its considerable promise for disease prevention through improved intestinal health.

Effects of dietary paddy rice on the growth, serum biochemistry, intestinal development, microbiota, and metabolism of young laying ducks in a rice-duck-crayfish farming system

This study investigated the effects of feeding paddy rice on the physiology, metabolism, and gut microbiota of ducks in a rice-duck-crayfish (RDC) system. A total of 540 ducks (20-days-old) were randomly divided into 3 groups with 3 replicates and 60 ducks per replicate. The 40-d experiment involved 3 diet treatments: a complete diet (CD), 50% paddy rice + 50% complete diet (RCD), and 100% paddy rice diet (RD). Results show that feeding paddy rice did not significantly affect duck growth, the final weight in the RD group was reduced by 5%, and the feed-to-gain ratio increased by 7% compared to the CD group. Additionally, compared with the CD group, the keel length, gizzard and proventriculus indices, and serum high-density lipoprotein levels increased (P < 0.05), and duodenal villus height and ileal crypt depth (P < 0.05) reduced in the RD group and ileal villus height decreased in the RCD group (P < 0.05). Compared with the CD group, the cecal abundance of Bacteroidota, Prevotellaceae_Ga6A1_group, and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group decreased in the RD group (P < 0.05) while the abundance of Firmicutes, Megamonas and Faecalibacterium increased (P < 0.05). Metabolome analysis revealed that serum citric acid increased (P < 0.05) in the RCD and RD groups, whereas cytidine, cytosine, and 4-aminobutyric acid decreased (P < 0.05) in the RD group. In conclusion, these preliminary results suggest that paddy rice supplementation under an RDC system had no significant effect on duck growth, but it did cause changes in intestinal morphology, microbiota, and serum metabolic profiles. However, it is important to note that the limited overall number of replicates in this study contributed to a certain degree of high variance. While the growth differences among groups were not statistically significant, the full replacement of paddy rice still poses potential performance losses. In practical applications, this finding provides a reference for the RDC system, but further validation through larger-scale trials is required.

Highland Barley Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Liver Injury Through the IRS2/PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway in Rats

Objectives: Highland barley (HB) consumption offers numerous health benefits; however, its impact on glycolipid metabolism abnormalities induced by a high-fat diet remains unclear. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of HB in the context of obesity; Methods: Rats were fed either a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity or a standard diet (SD) for six weeks. The rats in the HFD group were randomly assigned into five groups: HFD+HFD, HFD+SD, and low (30%), medium (45%), and high (60%) doses of the HB diet for an additional ten weeks. Analyses of serum lipid profiles, liver histology, transcriptomes, and untargeted metabolomes were conducted; Results: HB intake resulted in decreased weight gain, reduced feed intake, lower serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and diminished hepatic lipid accumulation. It also improved insulin and fasting blood glucose levels, and antioxidant capacity in the HFD-fed rats. Transcriptome analysis revealed that HB supplementation significantly suppressed the HFD-induced increase in the expression of Angptl8, Apof, CYP7A1, GDF15, Marveld1, and Nr0b2. Furthermore, HB supplementation reversed the HFD-induced decrease in Pex11a expression. Untargeted metabolome analysis indicated that HB primarily influenced the pentose phosphate pathway, the Warburg effect, and tryptophan metabolism. Additionally, integrated transcriptome and metabolome analyses demonstrated that the treatments affected the expression of genes associated with glycolipid metabolism, specifically ABCG8, CYP2C12, CYP2C24, CYP7A1, and IRS2. Western blotting confirmed that HB supplementation impacted the IRS2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway; Conclusions: HB alleviates HFD-induced obesity and liver injury in an obese rat model possibly through the IRS2/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Metabolite profiling of camel milk and the fermentation bacteria agent TR1 fermented two types of sour camel milk using LC-MS in relation to their probiotic potentials

Camel milk is a nutrient-rich diet and fermentation affects its nutritional value and probiotic function. In this study, sour camel milk and oat jujube sour camel milk were prepared using fermentation bacteria agent TR1, and the metabolites of camel milk, sour camel milk and oat jujube sour camel milk were detected using a non-targeted metabolomics approach using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).The results showed that the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) with 100 % accuracy and good predictive power detected 343 components in positive ion mode and 220 components in negative ion mode. The differential metabolites were mainly organic acids, amino acids, esters, vitamins and other substances contained in camel milk.It showed that there were significant differences in the metabolites of camel milk, sour camel milk and oat jujube sour camel milk. Based on the pathway enrichment analysis of the three dairy products in the KEGG database, 12 metabolic pathways mainly involved in the positive ion mode and 20 metabolic pathways mainly involved in the negative ion mode were identified. The main biochemical metabolic pathways and signal transduction pathways of the differential metabolites of the three dairy products were obtained. This study provides theoretical support for improving the nutritional quality and probiotic function of camel milk and fermented camel milk products and provides a basis for the development of relevant processing technologies and products for camel milk and fermented camel milk.

Insoluble Dietary Fiber from Okara Combined with Intermittent Fasting Treatment Synergistically Confers Antiobesity Effects by Regulating Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites

Insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) was recently revealed to have an antiobesity impact. However, the impact and potential mechanism of high-purity IDF derived from okara (HPSIDF) on obesity caused by a high-fat diet (HFD) remain unclear. Except for dietary supplementation, intermittent fasting (IF) has attracted extensive interest as a new dietary strategy against obesity. Thus, we hypothesize that HPSIDF combined with IF treatment may be more effective in preventing obesity. In this study, HPSIDF combined with IF treatment synergistically alleviated HFD-induced dyslipidemia, impaired glucose homeostasis, systemic inflammation, and fat accumulation. Furthermore, gut microbiota dysbiosis and lowered short-chain fatty acid synthesis were recovered by HPSIDF combined with IF treatment. Meanwhile, metabolomic analysis of feces revealed that HPSIDF combined with IF treatment obviously reversed the alterations of metabolic pathways and differential metabolites induced by HFD, which were linked to the modulations of the gut microbiota. Collectively, our findings indicated that HPSIDF combined with IF treatment has great potential to substantially enhance antiobesity efficacy by modulating the gut microbiota and its metabolites.

Whole Grain Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) Attenuates Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetic Mice: Involvement of miRNA Profile

This work aimed to investigate the hypoglycemic effects and underlying mechanism of whole grain proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.; WPM) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The results showed that WPM supplementation significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum lipid levels in T2DM mice induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) combined with streptozotocin (STZ), with improved glucose tolerance, liver and kidney injury, and insulin resistance. In addition, WPM significantly inhibited the expression of gluconeogenesis-related genes G6pase, Pepck, Foxo1, and Pgc-1α. Further study by miRNA high-throughput sequencing revealed that WPM supplementation mainly altered the liver miRNA expression profile of T2DM mice by increasing the expression of miR-144-3p_R-1 and miR-423-5p, reducing the expression of miR-22-5p_R-1 and miR-30a-3p. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the target genes of these miRNAs were mainly enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. WPM supplementation significantly increased the level of PI3K, p-AKT, and GSK3β in the liver of T2DM mice. Taken together, WPM exerts antidiabetic effects by improving the miRNA profile and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to inhibit gluconeogenesis. This study implies that PM can act as a dietary supplement to attenuate T2DM.

Metabolomic analysis of the effects of a mixed culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on the physicochemical and quality characteristics of apple cider vinegar

Introduction

This study compared differences in physicochemical characteristics of the vinegar made by a mixed culture (MC) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and a pure culture (PC) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Methods

The fermentation process was monitored, and metabolomics analysis by Liquid Chromagraphy-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) was applied to the compositional differences between PC and MC vinegars, combined with quantification of organic acids, amino acids and B vitamins.

Results

A total of 71 differential metabolites including amino acids, organic acids and carbohydrates, and six possible key metabolic pathways were identified. MC enhanced the malic acid utilization and pyruvate acid metabolism during fermentation, increasing substrate-level phosphorylation, and supplying more energy for cellular metabolism. Higher acidity at the beginning of acetic acid fermentation, resulting from lactic acid production by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in MC, suppressed the cellular metabolism and growth of Acetobacter pasteurianus, but enhanced its alcohol metabolism and acetic acid production in MC. MC vinegar contained more vitamin B, total flavonoids, total organic acids, amino acids and had a higher antioxidant capacity. MC enhanced the volatile substances, particularly ethyl lactate, ethyl caprate and ethyl caproate, which contributed to a stronger fruity aroma.

Discussion

These results indicated the mixed culture in alcoholic fermentation can effectively enhance the flavor and quality of apple cider vinegar.

Reconfiguration of Gut Microbiota and Reprogramming of Liver Metabolism with Phycobiliproteins Bioactive Peptides to Rehabilitate Obese Rats

Phycobiliproteins (derived from Arthrospira platensis) bioactive peptide extracts (PPE) possess multiple pharmacological effects in the mitigation of human metabolic disorders. The role of PPE in the treatment of diet-induced obesity and the understanding of the underlying mechanism between the gut microbiome and metabolic blood circulation for obese patients remains poorly understood. In this study, we showed that PPE attenuated obesity by reducing body weight, and ameliorated glucose and lipid indexes in serum. In particular, PPE is postulated to mitigate liver steatosis and insulin resistance. On the other hand, dietary treatment with PPE was found to “reconfigure” the gut microbiota in the way that the abundances were elevated for Akkermansia_muciniphila, beneficial Lactobacillus and Romboutsia, SCFA-producing species Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Lachnospiraceae_bacterium, Clostridiales_bacterium, probiotics Clostridium sp., Enterococcus faecium, and Lactobacillus_johnsonii, while the abundance of Firmicutes was reduced and that of Bacteroidetes was increased to reverse the imbalance of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Finally, the metabolomics of circulating serum using UHPLC-MS/MS illustrated that PPE supplementation indeed promoted lipid metabolism in obese rats. As summary, it was seen that PPE reprogrammed the cell metabolism to prevent the aggravation of obesity. Our findings strongly support that PPE can be regarded as a potential therapeutic dietary supplement for obesity.

Metabolomics analysis of stool in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus after single-anastomosis duodenal-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy

BACKGROUND

Single-anastomosis duodenal-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S) is one of the most effective bariatric procedures in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the mechanisms by which SADI-S improves T2DM are not well-known.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of SADI-S on metabolites in the stool of rats with T2DM.

METHODS

Twenty rats were fed on high-fat diet and administered with a low-dose (30mg/kg) of streptozotocin to establish T2DM models. The rats were then randomly assigned to the SADI-S group (n=10) and sham operation group (n=9). Stool samples were collected from all rats at 8 weeks after surgery and stored at -80 °C. Metabolomics analysis was performed to identify differential metabolites through ultra- performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

At 8-week after surgery, rats of the SADI-S group showed significantly decreased fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance test 2-hour, glycated haemoglobin, and body weight compared with those of the sham group. A total of 245 differential metabolites were identified between the two groups. Among them, 16 metabolites such as branched-chain amino acids (valine), aromatic amino acid (phenylalanine), bile acid (cholic acid, lithocholic acid, and β-muricholic acid), short-chain fatty acid (isobutyric acid), and phospholipid [lysoPE(17:0), lysoPE(20:3) and lysoPS(16:0)] were associated to the T2DM remission after SADI-S.

CONCLUSION

SADI-S improves T2DM in rats by regulating phenylalanine biosynthesis, valine, phenylalanine, alanine, glutamate, proline, bile acid, and phospholipid metabolism pathways.

A study of the influence of lead pollution on the anticoagulant activity of Whitmania pigra based on pharmacodynamics and metabolomics research

Whitmania pigra Whitman (leech, also called Shuizhi in China, abbreviated as SZ), which has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of blood stasis syndrome (BSS) for a long time, is vulnerable to lead pollution in aquaculture environments. SZ has good anticoagulant activity. However, there are few studies on the influence of lead pollution on it. Therefore, we carried out the following researches to explore the influence of lead pollution on the anticoagulant activity of SZ and its mechanism. Firstly, the acute blood stasis model of rats was established by subcutaneous injection of adrenaline hydrochloride and ice water bath. Then unpolluted SZ (UPS) and lead-polluted SZ (LPS) were extracted. Next, the blood stasis model rats were administrated by gavage and the rats in normal control (NC) group and blood stasis model (BM) group were given the same amount of normal saline. Finally, the blood of the rats was collected to detect the coagulation function and hemorheology indexes. The metabolomics of rat plasma was studied by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Orbitrap-MS) technology. Principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) were used to perform metabolomics analysis. MetPA analysis was used to search for related metabolic pathways. The results of coagulation function and hemorheology showed that lead pollution could decrease the anticoagulant activity of SZ. The OPLS-DA score plots indicated that the plasma metabolites of rats in LPS group were close to BM group, while UPS group tended to be close to NC group both in the positive and negative ion mode. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) suggested that UPS group and NC group were clustered into a branch, while LPS group and BM group were clustered into a branch. To sum up, lead pollution will reduce the anticoagulant activity of SZ. And lead pollution reduces the anticoagulant activity of SZ probably by influencing the metabolic pathways such as sphingolipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism in rats.

Application of metabolomics for revealing the interventional effects of functional foods on metabolic diseases

Metabolomics is an important branch of systems biology, which can detect changes in the body's metabolism before and after the intervention of functional foods, identify effective metabolites, and predict the interventional effects and the mechanism. This review summarizes the latest research outcomes regarding interventional effects of functional foods on metabolic diseases via metabolomics analysis. Since metabolomics approaches are powerful strategies for revealing the changes in bioactive compounds of functional foods during processing and storage, we also discussed the effects of these parameters on functional food metabolites using metabolomics approaches. To date, a number of endogenous metabolites related to the metabolic diseases after functional foods intervention have been discovered. Unfortunately, the mechanisms of metabolic disease-related molecules are still unclear and require further studies. The combination of metabolomics with other omics technologies could further promote its ability to fully understand the precise biological processes of functional food intervention on metabolic diseases.