Modulation effect of chenpi extract on gut microbiota in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice

Effects of high oleic acid peanuts on mice's liver and adipose tissue metabolic parameters and gut microbiota composition

This study aimed to investigate the effects of two types of peanuts, regular Hanoch (HN) and a new high-oleic cultivar., Hanoch-Oleic (HO), on metabolic parameters and gut microbiota composition. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a normal diet (ND) or ND supplemented with HN (NDh) or HO (NDo). Following 18 weeks of diet regimen, the NDo group exhibited reduced body weight and peri-gonadal adipose-to-body weight ratio, paralleled to lesser food consumption. Although blood levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, free fatty acids, and liver enzyme levels did not differ between groups, decreased insulin sensitivity was found in the NDh group. Within adipose tissue, the expression of lipolytic and lipogenic enzymes was higher, while those related to lipid oxidation were lower in the NDh group compared to the NDo group. Additionally, HO peanuts consumption promoted the establishment of a healthy microbiota, with an enhanced abundance of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Coprococcus genera. In conclusion, the inclusion of the HO peanut cultivar., rather than the conventional peanut cultivar., in a balanced diet was related to better metabolic outcomes and was linked to a favorable microbiota profile.

Review of recent advances on health benefits, microbial transformations, and authenticity identification of Citri reticulatae Pericarpium bioactive compounds

The extensive health-promoting effects of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) have attracted researchers' interest. The difference in storage time, varieties and origin of CRP are closely related to the content of bioactive compounds they contain. The consitituent transformation mediated by environmental microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) and the production of new bioactive components during the storage process may be the main reason for 'the older, the better' of CRP. In addition, the gap in price between different varieties can be as large as 8 times, while the difference due to age can even reach 20 times, making the 'marketing young-CRP as old-CRP and counterfeiting origin' flood the entire market, seriously harming consumers' interests. However, so far, the research on CRP is relatively decentralized. In particular, a summary of the microbial transformation and authenticity identification of CRP has not been reported. Therefore, this review systematically summarized the recent advances on the main bioactive compounds, the major biological activities, the microbial transformation process, the structure, and content changes of the active substances during the transformation process, and authenticity identification of CRP. Furthermore, challenges and perspectives concerning the future research on CRP were proposed.

Polymethoxyflavone-Enriched Fraction from Ougan (Citrus reticulata cv. Suavissima) Attenuated Diabetes and Modulated Gut Microbiota in Diabetic KK-Ay Mice

Diabetes mellitus is a serious, chronic disease worldwide; yet it is largely preventable through physical activity and healthy diets. Ougan (Citrus reticulata cv. Suavissima) is a characteristic citrus variety rich in polymethoxyflavones. In the present study, the anti-diabetic effects of the polymethoxyflavone-enriched fraction from Ougan (OG-PMFs) were investigated. Diabetic KK-A^y mice were supplemented with different doses of OG-PMFs for 5 weeks. Our results demonstrated that OG-PMFs exhibited robust protective effects against diabetes symptoms in KK-A^y mice. The potential mechanisms may partially be attributed to the restoration of hepatic GLUT2 and catalase expression. Notably, OG-PMF administration significantly altered the gut microbiota composition in diabetic KK-A^y, indicated by the suppression of metabolic disease-associated genera Desulfovibrio, Lachnoclostridium, Enterorhabdus, and Ralstonia, implying that the gut microbiota might be another target for OG-PMFs to show effects. Taken together, our results provided a supplementation for the metabolic-protective effects of PMFs and highlighted that OG-PMFs hold great potential to be developed as a functional food ingredient.

Sacubitril/Valsartan contributes to improving the diabetic kidney disease and regulating the gut microbiota in mice

Background

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), as a serious microvascular complication of diabetes, has limted treatment options. It is reported that the Sacubitril/Valsartan (Sac/Val) can improve kidney function, and the disordered gut microbiota and part of its metabolites are related to the development of DKD. Therefore, we aim to explore whether the effect of Sac/Val on DKD is associated with the gut microbiota and related plasma metabolic profiles.

Methods

Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: Con group (n = 5), DKD group (n = 6), and Sac/Val group (n = 6) . Sac/Val group was treated with Sac/Val solution. The intervention was given once every 2 days for 6 weeks. We measured the blood glucose and urine protein level of mice at different times. We then collected samples at the end of experiment for the 16s rRNA gene sequencing analysis and the untargeted plasma metabonomic analysis.

Results

We found that the plasma creatinine concentration of DKD-group mice was significantly higher than that of Con-group mice, whereas it was reduced after the Sac/Val treatment. Compared with DKD mice, Sac/Val treatment could decrease the expression of indicators related to EndMT and renal fibrosis like vimentin, collagen IV and fibronectin in kidney. According to the criteria of LDA ≥ 2.5 and p<0.05, LefSe analysis of gut microbiota identified 13 biomarkers in Con group, and 33 biomarkers in DKD group, mainly including Prevotella, Escherichia_Shigella and Christensenellaceae_R_7_group, etc. For the Sac/Val group, there were 21 biomarkers, such as Bacteroides, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Parabacteroides, Lactobacillus, etc. Plasma metabolomics analysis identified a total of 648 metabolites, and 167 important differential metabolites were screened among groups. KEGG pathway of tryptophan metabolism: M and bile secretion: OS had the highest significance of enrichment.

Conclusions

Sac/Val improves the renal function of DKD mice by inhibiting renal fibrosis. This drug can also regulate gut microbiota in DKD mice.

Postbiotics Prepared Using Lactobacillus paracasei CCFM1224 Prevent Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Modulating the Gut Microbiota and Liver Metabolism

Postbiotics are rich in a variety of bioactive components, which may have beneficial effects in inhibiting hepatic lipid accumulation. In this study, we investigated the preventive effects of postbiotics (POST) prepared from Lactobacillus paracasei on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our results showed that when mice ingested a high-fat diet (HFD) and POST simultaneously, weight gain was slowed, epididymal white fat hypertrophy and insulin resistance were suppressed, serum biochemical indicators related to blood lipid metabolism were improved, and hepatic steatosis and liver inflammation decreased. Bacterial sequencing showed that POST modulated the gut microbiota in HFD mice, increasing the relative abundance of Akkermansia and reducing the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, Ruminiclostridium and Bilophila. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed significant correlations between lipid metabolism parameters and gut microbes. Functional prediction results showed that the regulation of gut microbiota was associated with the improvement of metabolic status. The metabolomic analysis of the liver revealed that POST-regulated liver metabolic pathways, such as glycerophospholipid and ether lipid metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, some parts of amino acid metabolism, and other metabolic pathways. In addition, POST regulated the gene expression in hepatocytes at the mRNA level, thereby regulating lipid metabolism. These findings suggest that POST plays a protective role against NAFLD and may exert its efficacy by modulating the gut microbiota and liver metabolism, and these findings may be applied to related functional foods.

Medicinal and edible plants in the treatment of dyslipidemia: advances and prospects

Dyslipidemia is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which lead to the high mortality, disability, and medical expenses in the worldwide. Based on the previous researches, the improvement of dyslipidemia could efficiently prevent the occurrence and progress of cardiovascular diseases. Medicinal and edible plants (MEPs) are the characteristics of Chinese medicine, and could be employed for the disease treatment and health care mostly due to their homology of medicine and food. Compared to the lipid-lowering drugs with many adverse effects, such as rhabdomyolysis and impaired liver function, MEPs exhibit the great potential in the treatment of dyslipidemia with high efficiency, good tolerance and commercial value. In this review, we would like to introduce 20 kinds of MEPs with lipid-lowering effect in the following aspects, including the source, function, active component, target and underlying mechanism, which may provide inspiration for the development of new prescription, functional food and complementary therapy for dyslipidemia.

An Ethnopharmaceutical Study on the Hypolipidemic Formulae in Taiwan Issued by Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies

Globally, approximately one-third of ischemic heart diseases are due to hyperlipidemia, which has been shown to cause various metabolic disorders. This study was aimed to disassemble and analyze hypolipidemic formulae sold by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacies. Using commonly used statistical parameters in ethnopharmacology, we identified the core drug combination of the hypolipidemic formulae, thereby exploring the strategy by which the Taiwanese people select hypolipidemic drugs. Most important of all, we preserved the inherited knowledge of TCM. We visited 116 TCM pharmacies in Taiwan and collected 91 TCM formulae. The formulae were mainly disassembled by macroscopical identification, and the medicinal materials with a relative frequency of citation (RFC) >0.2 were defined as commonly used medicinal materials. Subsequently, we sorted the information of medicinal materials recorded in the Pharmacopeia, searched for modern pharmacological research on commonly used medicinal materials using PubMed database, and visualized data based on the statistical results. Finally, the core hypolipidemic medicinal materials used in folk medicine were obtained. Of the 91 TCM formulae collected in this study, 80 traditional Chinese medicinal materials were used, belonging to 43 families, predominantly Lamiaceae. Roots were the most commonly used part as a medicinal material. There were 17 commonly used medicinal materials. Based on medicinal records in Pharmacopeia, most flavors and properties were warm and pungent, the majority traditional effects were “tonifying and replenishing” and “blood-regulating.” Besides, the targeted diseases searching from modern pharmacological studies were diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. The core medicinal materials consisted of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge, and the core formulae were Bu-Yang-Huan-Wu-Tang and Xie-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang. In addition, 7 groups of folk misused medicinal materials were found. Although these TCMs have been used for a long period of time, their hypolipidemic mechanisms remain unclear, and further studies are needed to validate their safety and efficacy.

Insights into crucial odourants dominating the characteristic flavour of citrus-white teas prepared from citrus reticulata Blanco 'Chachiensis' and Camellia sinensis 'Fudingdabai'

Citrus-white teas (CWs), which possess a balanced flavour of tea and citrus, are becoming more popular worldwide; however, their characteristic flavour and odourants received limited research. Volatile components of two types of CWs prepared from Citrus reticulata Blanco 'Chachiensis' and Camellia sinensis 'Fudingdabai' were comprehensively investigated using a combination of stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Ninety-nine crucial odourants in the CWs were quantified by applying GC-olfactometry/MS, significant differences were compared, and their odour activity values (OAVs) were calculated. Twenty-two odourants (in total 2628.09 and 1131.18 mg/kg respectively) were further confirmed as traditional CW (CW-A) and innovated CW (CW-B) characteristic flavour crucial contributors which all possessed > 1 OAVs, particularly limonene (72919 in CW-A) and trans-β-ionone (138953 in CW-B). The unravelling of CWs aroma composition will greatly expanding our understanding of tea aroma chemistry and the potential aroma interactions will offer insights into tea blending technologies.

Relandscaping the Gut Microbiota with a Whole Food: Dose–Response Effects to Common Bean

Underconsumption of dietary fiber and the milieu of chemicals with which it is associated is a health concern linked to the increasing global burden of chronic diseases. The benefits of fiber are partially attributed to modulation of the gut microbiota, whose composition and function depend on the amount and quality of microbiota-accessible substrates in the diet. However, not all types of fiber are equally accessible to the gut microbiota. Phaseolus vulgaris L., or common bean, is a food type rich in fiber as well as other prebiotics posing a great potential to positively impact diet-microbiota-host interactions. To elucidate the magnitude of bean’s effects on the gut microbiota, increasing doses of common bean were administered in macronutrient-matched diet formulations. The microbial communities in the ceca of female and male mice were evaluated via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. As the bean dose increased, the Bacillota:Bacteroidota ratio (formerly referred to as the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio) was reduced and α-diversity decreased, whereas the community composition was distinctly different between the diet groups according to β-diversity. These effects were more pronounced in female mice compared to male mice. Compositional analyses identified a dose-responsive bean-induced shift in microbial composition. With an increasing bean dose, Rikenellaceae, Bacteroides, and RF39, which are associated with health benefits, were enhanced. More taxa, however, were suppressed, among which were Allobaculum, Oscillospira, Dorea, and Ruminococcus, which are predominantly associated with chronic disease risk. Investigation of the origins of the dose dependent and biological sex differences in response to common bean consumption may provide insights into bean-gut microbiota-host interactions important to developing food-based precision approaches to chronic disease prevention and control.

Comparative Evaluation of the Effect of Metformin and Insulin on Gut Microbiota and Metabolome Profiles of Type 2 Diabetic Rats Induced by the Combination of Streptozotocin and High-Fat Diet

Lately, an increasing number of studies have investigated the relationship between metformin and gut microbiota, suggesting that metformin exerts part of its hypoglycemic effect through the microbes. However, its underlying mechanism remains largely undetermined. In the present study, we investigated the effects of metformin on gut microbiota and metabolome profiles in serum and compared it with insulin treatment in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diabetic rats (DM group) were induced by a combination of streptozotocin and high-fat diet (HFD). After 7 days, DM rats were treated with metformin (MET group) or insulin (INS group) for 3 weeks. The 16S rRNA sequencing of the gut microbiota and non-targeted metabolomics analysis of serum were conducted. A total of 13 bile acids (BAs) in serum were further determined and compared among different groups. The rat model of T2DM was well established with the typical diabetic symptoms, showing significantly increased blood glucose, AUC of OGTT, HOMA-IR, TC, TG, LDL-C and TBA. Metformin or insulin treatment could ameliorate symptoms of diabetes and partly recover the abnormal biochemical indicators. Compared with DM rats, the relative abundances of 13 genera were significantly changed after metformin treatment, while only three genera were changed after insulin treatment. The metformin and insulin treatments also exhibited different serum metabolome profiles in T2DM rats. Moreover, 64 differential metabolites were identified between MET and DM groups, whereas 206 were identified between INS and DM groups. Insulin treatment showed greater influence on amino acids, glycerophospholipids/glycerolipids, and acylcarnitine compared with the metformin treatment, while metformin had an important impact on BAs. Furthermore, metformin could significantly decrease the serum levels of CA, GCA, UDCA, and GUDCA, but increase the level of TLCA in DM rats. Insulin treatment significantly decreased the levels of CA, UDCA, and CDCA. Besides, several metabolites in serum or microbiota were positively or negatively correlated with some bacteria. Collectively, our findings indicated that metformin had a stronger effect on gut microbiota than insulin, while insulin treatment showed greater influence on serum metabolites, which provided novel insights into the therapeutic effects of metformin on diabetes.