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Modified apple polysaccharide regulates microbial dysbiosis to suppress high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6J mice

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Abstract

Purpose

Obesity, substantially increasing the risk of diseases such as metabolic diseases, becomes a major health challenge. In this study, we, therefore, investigated the effect of modified apple polysaccharide (MAP) on obesity.

Methods

Twelve male C57BL/6J mice were given a 45% high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks to replicate an obesity model and six mice were given normal diet as control. Then, 1 g/kg MAP was administrated to six mice by gavage for 15 days. Illumina Miseq PE300 sequencing platform was used to analyze the microbial diversity of fecal samples. Flow cytometry was employed to investigate the effects of MAP on immune cells in adipose tissue. Bacterial culture and qPCR were used to assess the effects of MAP on the growth of whole fecal bacteria and representative microbiota in vitro.

Results

MAP could alleviate HFD-induced obesity and decrease body weight of mice effectively. The results of α diversity showed that Shannon index in HFD group was significantly lower than that in control group; Shannon index in MAP group was higher than that in HFD group. The results of β diversity showed that the microbiota of MAP group was more similar to that of control group. HFD increased the number of T cells and macrophages in adipocytes; while MAP decreased the number of T cells and macrophages. MAP could promote the growth of fecal bacteria, and demonstrated a facilitated effect on the proliferation of Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, and an inhibitory effect on Fusobacterium.

Conclusions

MAP could reduce HFD-induced obesity of mice effectively. The possible mechanisms are that MAP restored HFD-induced intestinal microbiota disorder, downregulated the number of T cells and macrophages in adipose tissue.

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Abbreviations

BDE:

Bacteroides

BTE:

Bacteroidetes

FIR:

Firmicutes

FUS:

Fusobacterium

HDL-C:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

HFD:

High-fat diet

LDL-C:

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

LAC:

Lactobacillus

MAP:

Colitis-associated colorectal cancer

TC:

Total cholesterol

TG:

Triglyceride

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Acknowledgements

This investigation was supported by the Grant (no. 81302787), from National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Grant (no. 2018M633405) from Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China, and the Grant (no. 2019JQ-562) from Shaanxi Natural Science basic Research Program Project.

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Author notes

  1. Yuhua Li, Wenqi Xu and Yang Sun have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medial University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

    Yuhua Li, Xiaowei Gao, Can Song & Qibing Mei

  2. State Key Laboratory of New Drug and Pharmaceutical Process, Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, Shanghai, 200437, China

    Wenqi Xu, Yan Wang, Yunhua Li & Li Liu

  3. Shanghai Professional and Technical Service Center for Biological Material Drug-Ability Evaluation, Shanghai, 200437, China

    Wenqi Xu, Yan Wang, Yunhua Li & Li Liu

  4. Department of Pharmacy, The First Naval Force Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, Zhanjiang, 524005, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Yuhua Li & Yuan Tang

  5. Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710032, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Yang Sun

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  1. Yuhua Li
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Contributions

The experiments were conceived and designed by YL, WX, and QM, and performed by YL, WX, YS, YW, YT, YL, XG, and CS; the data were analyzed by WX, YS, and LL. The initial manuscript draft was written by YL, and critically revised by LL and QM. And all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Li Liu or Qibing Mei.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Li, Y., Xu, W., Sun, Y. et al. Modified apple polysaccharide regulates microbial dysbiosis to suppress high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6J mice. Eur J Nutr 59, 2025–2037 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02051-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02051-z

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