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Dietary intervention using (1,3)/(1,6)-β-glucan, a fungus-derived soluble prebiotic ameliorates high-fat diet-induced metabolic distress and alters beneficially the gut microbiota in mice model

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A Correction to this article was published on 19 April 2021

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Abstract

Purpose

Western diet, rich in carbohydrates and fat, is said to be a major factor underlying metabolic syndrome. Interventions with prebiotics, the key modulators of the gut microbiota, have paramount impact on host-associated metabolic disorders. Herein, we investigated the effect of fungus-derived (1,3)/(1,6)-β-glucan, a highly soluble dietary fiber, on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic distress.

Methods

Male C57BL/6 J mice were fed with different diet groups (n = 11): control diet, HFD, 3 g/kg or 5 g/kg of β-glucan-incorporated HFD. At the end of experimental study period (12th week), body weight, feces weight and fecal moisture content were observed. Further, colonic motility was measured using activated charcoal meal study. Proteins extracted from liver and intestine tissues were subjected to western blot technique. Paraffin-embedded intestinal tissues were sectioned for histochemical [Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Alcian blue (AB) staining] analysis. Fecal microbiota analysis was performed using MOTHUR bioinformatic software.

Results

β-glucan consumption exhibited anti-obesity property in mice groups fed with HFD. In addition, β-glucan ameliorated HFD-induced hepatic stress, colonic motility and intestinal atrophy (reduction in colon length, goblet cells, and mucosal layer thickness). Further, β-glucan incorporation shifted bacterial community by increasing butyrate-producing bacteria such as Anaerostipes, Coprobacillus, and Roseburia and decreasing reportedly obesity-associated bacteria such as Parabacteroides and Lactococcus.

Conclusion

Altogether, the outcomes of this present pre-clinical animal study show β-glucan to be a promising therapeutic candidate in the treatment of HFD-induced metabolic distress. Further comprehensive research has to be conducted to brace its clinical relevance, reproducibility and efficacy for aiding human health.

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Abbreviations

HFD:

High-fat diet

BG:

β-glucan

NMDS:

Non-metric multidimensional scaling

IEC:

Intestinal epithelial cells

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Acknowledgements

This work was carried out with the support of the “Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development (Project No. PJ01331801)” Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea. This research was also supported, in part, by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2016R1A6A1A03012862).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Karthika Muthuramalingam, Changmin Choi, Young Mee Kim & Moonjae Cho

  2. Faculty of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, SARI, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Vineet Singh & Tatsuya Unno

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Quegen Biotech Co. Ltd, Seoul, 429931, Republic of Korea

    Seung In Choi

  4. Subtropical/Tropical Organism Gene Bank, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Tatsuya Unno

  5. Institute of Medical Science, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63241, Republic of Korea

    Moonjae Cho

  6. Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology & Science, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63241, Republic of Korea

    Moonjae Cho

Authors
  1. Karthika Muthuramalingam
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  2. Vineet Singh
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  3. Changmin Choi
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  4. Seung In Choi
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  5. Young Mee Kim
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  6. Tatsuya Unno
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  7. Moonjae Cho
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Contributions

KM performed experiments, collected and analyzed data, and drafted the portions of the manuscript pertaining to the in vivo studies. CC assisted in data collection of in vivo studies. VS participated in the fecal microbiota analysis and drafted the results. SIC contributed β-glucan. YMK planned and supervised the work. TU and MJC conceived and designed the analysis and proofread the drafted manuscript. All the authors reviewed the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tatsuya Unno or Moonjae Cho.

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Muthuramalingam, K., Singh, V., Choi, C. et al. Dietary intervention using (1,3)/(1,6)-β-glucan, a fungus-derived soluble prebiotic ameliorates high-fat diet-induced metabolic distress and alters beneficially the gut microbiota in mice model. Eur J Nutr 59, 2617–2629 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02110-5

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