Maternal sodium butyrate supplement elevates the lipolysis in adipose tissue and leads to lipid accumulation in offspring liver of weaning-age rats

Dietary Coated Sodium Butyrate Ameliorates Hepatic Lipid Accumulation and Inflammation via Enhancing Antioxidative Function in Post-Peaking Laying Hens

During the aging process of laying hens, hepatic oxidative stress damage and lipid accumulation are prone to occur, leading to the deterioration of egg quality and a decline in production properties. This research was designed to explore the effects of different levels of coated sodium butyrate (CSB) addition on oxidation resistance, inflammatory reaction, lipid metabolism and hepatic oxidative damage-related gene expression in aged laying hens. A total of 720 healthy 52 weeks old Huafeng laying hens were arbitrarily divided into 5 groups of 6 replicates with 24 birds each and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg CSB for 8 weeks, respectively. The CSB quadratically upgraded GSH-Px activities and downgraded MDA content in the liver and serum. The LDL-C, NEFA and TG contents decreased quadratically in CSB groups and significantly reduced the fatty vacuoles as well as the formation of fat granules in the liver (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the CSB quadratically upregulated the gene expression of IL-10, Nrf2 and HO1, but downregulated the gene expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α and Keap1 in a quadratic manner (p < 0.05). Moreover, the CSB quadratically degraded the mRNA level of fatty acid synthesis but increased the gene level of key enzymes of fatty acid catabolism (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary CSB supplementation has a favorable effect in protecting against liver injury and alleviating lipid accumulation and inflammation by enhancing hepatic antioxidative function in aged laying hens.

Conjugated linoleic acids inhibit lipid deposition in subcutaneous adipose tissue and alter lipid profiles in serum of pigs

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) have served as a nutritional strategy to reduce fat deposition in adipose tissues of pigs. However, the effects of CLAs on lipid profiles in serum and how these lipid molecules regulate fat deposition are still unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of CLAs on regulating lipid deposition in adipose tissues in terms of lipid molecules and microbiota based on a Heigai pig model. A total of 56 Heigai finishing pigs (body weight: 85.58 ± 10.39 kg) were randomly divided into two treatments and fed diets containing 1% soyabean oil or 1% CLAs for 40 d. CLAs reduced fat deposition and affected fatty acids composition in adipose tissues of Heigai pigs via upregulating the expression of the lipolytic gene (hormone-sensitive lipase, HSL) in vivo and in vitro. CLAs also altered the biochemical immune indexes including reduced content of total cholesterol (TChol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and changed lipids profiles including decreased sphingolipids especially ceramides (Cers) and sphingomyelins (SMs) in serum of Heigai pigs. Mechanically, CLAs may decrease peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorγ (PPARγ) expression and further inhibit adipogenic differentiation in adipose tissues of pigs by suppressing the function of Cers in serum. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis showed HSL expression was positively related to short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut (P ≤ 0.05) but the abundance of Cers was negatively related to the production and functions of SCFAs (P ≤ 0.05). CLAs altered the distribution of the lipid in serum and inhibited adipogenic differentiation by suppressing the function of Cers and further decreasing PPARγ expression in adipose tissues of Heigai pigs. Besides, the HSL expression and the abundance of Cers are associated with the production and functions of SCFAs in the gut.

Butyrate and obesity: Current research status and future prospect

Over the past few decades, increasing prevalence of obesity caused an enormous medical, social, and economic burden. As the sixth most important risk factor contributing to the overall burden of disease worldwide, obesity not only directly harms the human body, but also leads to many chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and mental illness. Weight loss is still one of the most effective strategies against obesity and related disorders. Recently, the link between intestinal microflora and metabolic health has been constantly established. Butyrate, a four-carbon short-chain fatty acid, is a major metabolite of the gut microbiota that has many beneficial effects on metabolic health. The anti-obesity activity of butyrate has been demonstrated, but its mechanisms of action have not been fully described. This review summarizes current knowledge of butyrate, including its production, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and the effect and mechanisms involved in weight loss and obesity-related diseases. The aim was to contribute to and advance our understanding of butyrate and its role in obesity. Further exploration of butyrate and its pathway may help to identify new anti-obesity.

The Therapeutic Effect of SCFA-Mediated Regulation of the Intestinal Environment on Obesity

Intestinal environment disorder is a potential pathological mechanism of obesity. There is increasing evidence that disorders in the homeostasis of the intestinal environment can affect various metabolic organs, such as fat and liver, and lead to metabolic diseases. However, there are few therapeutic approaches for obesity targeting the intestinal environment. In this review, on the one hand, we discuss how intestinal microbial metabolites SCFA regulate intestinal function to improve obesity and the possible mechanisms and pathways related to obesity-related pathological processes (depending on SCFA-related receptors such as GPCRs, MCT and SMCT, and through epigenetic processes). On the other hand, we discuss dietary management strategies to enrich SCFA-producing bacteria and target specific SCFA-producing bacteria and whether fecal bacteria transplantation therapy to restore the composition of the gut microbiota to regulate SCFA can help prevent or improve obesity. Finally, we believe that it will be of great significance to establish a working model of gut– SCFA– metabolic disease development in the future for the improvement this human health concern.

Maternal butyrate supplementation affects the lipid metabolism and fatty acid composition in the skeletal muscle of offspring piglets

Maternal sodium butyrate (SB) intake has important effects on offspring growth and development. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of maternal SB supplementation during gestation and lactation on fatty acid composition and lipid metabolism in the offspring skeletal muscle of pigs. Twenty sows (Yorkshire, parity 2 to 3) were assigned to the control group (diets without SB, n = 10) and SB group (diets with 0.1% SB, n = 10). The results showed maternal SB supplementation throughout gestation and lactation increased (P < 0.05) body weight of offspring piglets at weaning. The concentrations of triglyceride in plasma and milk were enhanced (P < 0.05). Maternal SB induced (P < 0.05) lipid accumulation with increased expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) by enrichment of the acetylation of H3 acetylation K27 (H3K27) in offspring skeletal muscle. Meanwhile, the concentrations of C18:2n-6, C18:3n-3, total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), n-6 PUFA and n-3 PUFA decreased (P < 0.05) in skeletal muscle of weaning piglets derived from SB sows. Together, these results showed that maternal SB supplementation could influence offspring growth performance, lipid metabolism and fatty acid composition of the skeletal muscle.

The Impact of Microbiome and Microbiota-Derived Sodium Butyrate on Drosophila Transcriptome and Metabolome Revealed by Multi-Omics Analysis

The host microbiome plays an important role in regulating physiology through microbiota-derived metabolites during host-microbiome interactions. However, molecular mechanism underly host-microbiome interactions remains to be explored. In this study, we used Drosophila as the model to investigate the influence of microbiome and microbiota-derived metabolite sodium butyrate on host transcriptome and metabolome. We established both a sterile Drosophila model and a conventional Drosophila model to demonstrate the role of sodium butyrate. Using multi-omics analysis, we found that microbiome and sodium butyrate could impact host gene expression patterns in both the sterile Drosophila model and the conventional Drosophila model. The analysis of gut microbial using 16S rRNA sequencing showed sodium butyrate treatment also influenced Drosophila bacterial structures. In addition, Drosophila metabolites identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-MS/MS were shown to be affected by sodium butyrate treatment with lipids as the dominant changed components. Our integrative analysis of the transcriptome, the microbiome, and the metabolome data identified candidate transcripts that are coregulated by sodium butyrate. Taken together, our results reveal the impact of the microbiome and microbiota-derived sodium butyrate on host transcriptome and metabolome, and our work provides a better understanding of host-microbiome interactions at the molecular level with multi-omics data.

18α-Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) ameliorates fructose-induced nephropathy in mice by suppressing oxidative stress, dyslipidemia and inflammation

Excessive fructose (FRU) intake can result in insulin resistance and metabolic disorder, which are related to renal injury.18α-Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is a bioactive component mainly extracted from Glycyrrhiza radix, and has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, its effects on FRU-induced renal injury still remain unclear. In this study, we found that 18α-GA treatments could significantly ameliorate the cell viability in FRU-treated tubule epithelial cells, accompanied with improved mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in FRU-stimulated cells was markedly reduced by 18α-GA, which were associated with the activation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived-2)-like 2 (Nrf-2) and the blockage of MAPKs signaling. Additionally, dyslipidemia detected in FRU-treated cells was greatly inhibited by 18α-GA. We also found that 18α-GA significantly ameliorated FRU-induced inflammation in cells through reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokine. The anti-inflammatory effects regulated by 18α-GA were mainly related to the repression of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) signaling. Furthermore, the protective effects of 18α-GA against ROS production, lipid accumulation and inflammation were verified in renal tissues from FRU-challenged mice, consequently improving metabolic disorder and kidney injury. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that 18α-GA exerted renal protective effects through reducing oxidative stress, lipid deposition and inflammatory response, and thus could be considered as a promising therapeutic strategy for metabolic stress-induced kidney injury.

Lipid-regulating properties of butyric acid and 4-phenylbutyric acid: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic applications

In the past two decades, significant advances have been made in the etiology of lipid disorders. Concomitantly, the discovery of liporegulatory functions of certain short-chain fatty acids has generated interest in their clinical applications. In particular, butyric acid (BA) and its derivative, 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA), which afford health benefits against lipid disorders while being generally well tolerated by animals and humans have been assessed clinically. This review examines the evidence from cell, animal and human studies pertaining to the lipid-regulating effects of BA and PBA, their molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential. Collectively, the evidence supports the view that intakes of BA and PBA benefit lipid homeostasis across biological systems. We reviewed the evidence that BA and PBA downregulate de novo lipogenesis, ameliorate lipotoxicity, slow down atherosclerosis progression, and stimulate fatty acid β-oxidation. Central to their mode of action, BA appears to function as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor while PBA acts as a chemical chaperone and/or a HDAC inhibitor. Areas of further inquiry include the effects of BA and PBA on adipogenesis, lipolysis and apolipoprotein metabolism.

Growth performance, lipid metabolism, and health status of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fed three different forms of sodium butyrate

Sodium butyrate (SB) can be coated with fatty acid matrix. In this study, the effects of three SB forms, being zero-lipid-coated (SB-A), half-lipid-coated (SB-B), and 2/3 lipid-coated (SB-C) (w/w), on growth, lipid metabolism, and health status of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were investigated. The three forms of SB were added to a control diet to form three SB diets, Con., SB-A, SB-B, and SB-C, where the pure SB in each SB diet was kept at the same level (500 mg kg^-1). A total of 216 C. idella (14.10 ± 0.60 g/fish) were allotted into four groups (triplicate per group) and fed the four diets respectively for 56 days, and then fish were sampled and determined. Fish growth was not affected by any of the three forms of SB. Viscerosomatic index, intraperitoneal fat index, and crude lipid of hepatopancreas and muscle were significantly decreased and villus height of intestine and mRNA expression of MyD88 and TLR22 in hepatopancreas were significantly improved in SB diets compared with control (p < 0.05), respectively. MiSeq sequencing of the V3-V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that SB increased the relative abundances of intestinal healthy bacteria, Fusobacteria and Bacteroides, and the abundances of Cetobacterium decreased in the SB-C group. In conclusion, the present results showed that three forms of SB, without affecting the growth of fish, respectively decreased lipid accumulation and probably have a beneficial effect on health of C. idella.

Gut Microbiota and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Insights on Mechanisms and Therapy

The gut microbiota plays critical roles in development of obese-related metabolic diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), type 2 diabetes(T2D), and insulin resistance(IR), highlighting the potential of gut microbiota-targeted therapies in these diseases. There are various ways that gut microbiota can be manipulated, including through use of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics, and some active components from herbal medicines. In this review, we review the main roles of gut microbiota in mediating the development of NAFLD, and the advances in gut microbiota-targeted therapies for NAFLD in both the experimental and clinical studies, as well as the conclusions on the prospect of gut microbiota-targeted therapies in the future.

Maternal butyrate supplementation induces insulin resistance associated with enhanced intramuscular fat deposition in the offspring

Maternal nutrition is important for the risk of the offspring to develop insulin resistance and adiposity later in life. The study was undertaken to determine effects of maternal butyrate supplementation on lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in the offspring skeletal muscle. The offspring of rats, fed a control diet or a butyrate diet (1% sodium butyrate) throughout gestation and lactation, was studied at weaning and at 60 days of age. The offspring of dams fed a butyrate diet had higher HOMA-insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance. This was associated with elevated mRNA and protein expressions of lipogenic genes and decreased amounts of lipolytic enzyme. Simultaneously, enhanced acetylation of histone H3 lysine 9 and histone H3 lysine 27 modification on the lipogenic genes in skeletal muscle of adult offspring was observed. Higher concentration of serum insulin and intramuscular triglyceride in skeletal muscle of offspring from the butyrate group at weaning were accompanied by increasing levels of lipogenic genes and enrichment of acetylation of histone H3 lysine 27. Maternal butyrate supplementation leads to insulin resistance and ectopic lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle of offspring, indicating the importance of short chain fatty acids in the maternal diet on lipid metabolism.

Supplementing the maternal diet of rats with butyrate enhances mitochondrial biogenesis in the skeletal muscles of weaned offspring

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal dietary butyrate supplementation on energy metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis in offspring skeletal muscle and the possible mediating mechanisms. Virgin female rats were randomly assigned to either control or butyrate diets (1 % butyrate sodium) throughout gestation and lactation. At the end of lactation (21 d), the offspring were killed by exsanguination from the abdominal aorta under anaesthesia. The results showed that maternal butyrate supplementation throughout gestation and lactation did not affect offspring body weight. However, the protein expressions of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPR) 43 and 41 were significantly enhanced in offspring skeletal muscle of the maternal butyrate-supplemented group. The ATP content, most of mitochondrial DNA-encoded gene expressions, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 4 protein contents and the mitochondrial DNA copy number were significantly higher in the butyrate group than in the control group. Meanwhile, the protein expressions of type 1 myosin heavy chain, mitochondrial transcription factor A, PPAR-coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and uncoupling protein 3 were significantly increased in the gastrocnemius muscle of the treatment group compared with the control group. These results indicate for the first time that maternal butyrate supplementation during the gestation and lactation periods influenced energy metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis through the GPR and PGC-1α pathways in offspring skeletal muscle at weaning.