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Far-Infrared Therapy Based on Graphene Ameliorates High-Fat Diet-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior in Obese Mice via Alleviating Intestinal Barrier Damage and Neuroinflammation

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Abstract

The consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) has been implicated in the etiology of obesity and various neuropsychiatric disturbances, including anxiety and depression. Compelling evidence suggests that far-infrared ray (FIR) possesses beneficial effects on emotional disorders. However, the efficacy of FIR therapy in addressing HFD-induced anxiety and the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Here, we postulate that FIR emitted from a graphene-based therapeutic device may mitigate HFD-induced anxiety behaviors. The graphene-FIR modify the gut microbiota in HFD-mice, particularly by an enriched abundance of beneficial bacteria Clostridiaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae, coupled with a diminution of harmful bacteria Lachnospiraceae, Anaerovoracaceae, Holdemania and Marvinbryantia. Graphene-FIR also improved intestinal barrier function, as evidenced by the augmented expression of the tight junction protein occludin and G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43). In serum level, we observed the decreased free fatty acids (FFA), lipopolysaccharides (LPS), diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-lactate, and increased the glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) levels in graphene-FIR mice. Simultaneously, inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α manifested a decrease subsequent to graphene-FIR treatment in both peripheral and central system. Notably, graphene-FIR inhibited over expression of astrocytes and microglia. We further noticed that the elevated the BDNF and decreased TLR4 and NF-κB expression in graphene-FIR group. Overall, our study reveals that graphene-FIR rescued HFD-induced anxiety via improving the intestine permeability and the integrity of blood–brain barrier, and reduced inflammatory response by down regulating TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was supported by Medical Special Cultivation Project of Anhui University of Science and Technology (NO. YZ2023H2C015) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO. 81274117).

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Author notes

  1. Jin-shui Zhang

    Present address: State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China

  2. Jin-shui Zhang and Shuo Li have contribution equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

    Jin-shui Zhang, Yu-long Huang & Yun Deng

  2. State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China

    Shuo Li, Xiao-cui Tan, Hua-jin Dong, Rui Xue, Yang Zhang, Jing-cao Li & You-zhi Zhang

  3. Hebei North University, Hebei, 075000, China

    Xin Cheng

  4. Grahope New Materials Technologies Inc., Shenzhen, 518063, China

    Xiao-xing Feng

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Contributions

Y.Z Z and Y. D designed the study. J.S Z, S. L, X. C, Y.L H, J.C L, Y. Z, R. X, H.J D and X.C T performed the experiments. J.S Z and S. L analyzed the data. X.X F provided the technical support. J.S Z and S. L wrote the manuscript. All authors contributed to the editorial changes in the manuscript. All the authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yun Deng or You-zhi Zhang.

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This study was approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. Approval number: IACUC-DWZX-2022-632. All the institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed. Appropriate measures were taken to minimize the number and suffering of animals.

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Zhang, Js., Li, S., Cheng, X. et al. Far-Infrared Therapy Based on Graphene Ameliorates High-Fat Diet-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior in Obese Mice via Alleviating Intestinal Barrier Damage and Neuroinflammation. Neurochem Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-024-04133-9

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