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Polyphenols and their anti-obesity role mediated by the gut microbiota: a comprehensive review

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Abstract

Obesity is a global public health problem that results in chronic pathologies such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The treatment approach based on energy restriction and promotion of physical activity is ineffective in the long term. Due to the high prevalence of this pathology, complementary treatments such as brown adipose tissue activation (BAT) and white adipose tissue browning (WAT) have been proposed. Dietary polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites that can stimulate browning and thermogenesis of adipose tissue. They have also been shown to prevent body weight gain, and decrease systemic inflammation produced by high-fat diets. Ingested dietary polyphenols that reach the colon are metabolized by the gut microbiota (GM), regulating its composition and generating a great array of metabolites. GM is involved in the production of short chain fatty acids and secondary bile salts that regulate energetic metabolism. The alteration in the composition of GM observed in metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes can be attenuated by polyphenols. Recent studies support the hypothesis that GM would mediate WAT browning and BAT thermogenesis activation induced by polyphenol administration. Together, these results indicate that GM in the presence of polyphenols plays a fundamental role in the control of obesity possible through BAT activation.

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Abbreviations

AT:

adipose tissue

AMPK:

adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase

BAT:

brown adipose tissue activation

CC:

Camu-Camu

cAMP:

cyclic adenosine monophosphate

C/EBPα:

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α

CPT1α:

carnitine palmitoyltransferase Iα.

CREB:

co-activator cAMP response element-binding protein

COX2:

cyclooxygenase 2

DIO2:

deiodinase 2

EE:

energy expenditure

FIAF:

fasting-induced adipocyte factor

FXR:

farnesoid X receptor

GE:

grape extract

GSP:

Guarana seed powder

GM:

gut microbiota

HFD:

high-fat diets

iWAT:

inguinal WAT

LDL:

low density lipoprotein

LPL:

lipoprotein lipase

LPS:

lipopolysaccharide

MAPKs:

mitogen activated protein kinases

NLE:

Nitzschia laevis extract

BE:

polyphenol-rich blueberry extract

PKA:

protein kinase A

PE:

Pu-erh tea after its fermentation

PEBC:

Pu-erh tea bioactive compounds

PGC1-α:

peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-α

PPARα/β /γ:

peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α/β /γ

PRDM16:

PR domain zinc finger protein 16

SCFAs:

short-chain volatile fatty acids

SIRT1:

sirtuin 1

SREBP1c:

sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c

TFAM:

mitochondrial transcription factor A

TGR5:

membrane-type receptor for bile acids

TLR4:

toll-like receptor 4

UCP-1:

uncoupling protein 1

VA:

vanillic acid

WAT:

white adipose tissue browning.

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Funding

The National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (ANID, Chile) funded this work (grants FONDECYT #1171550 to D.F.G-D.)

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  1. Departamento de Nutricion, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia, 1027, Santiago, Chile

    Lissette Duarte, Naschla Gasaly, Francisca Echeverria, Martin Gotteland & Diego F Garcia-Diaz

  2. Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Naschla Gasaly

  3. Laboratorio de Ciencias de la Actividad Fisica, el Deporte y la Salud. Escuela de Ciencias de la Actividad Fisica y Salud, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Carlos Poblete-Aro

  4. Centro de Investigacion en Rehabilitacion y Salud CIRES, Universidad de las Americas, Santiago, Chile

    Carlos Poblete-Aro

  5. Escuela de Nutricion, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Denisse Uribe

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  1. Lissette Duarte
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Duarte, L., Gasaly, N., Poblete-Aro, C. et al. Polyphenols and their anti-obesity role mediated by the gut microbiota: a comprehensive review. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 22, 367–388 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-020-09622-0

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