Wei Cai, Jixiong Xu, Gang Li, Tao Liu, Xiali Guo, Huajie Wang, Liping Luo
Highlights
• Ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) reduced high fat diet (HFD)-induced weight gain, liver fat accumulation, and insulin resistance.
• EEP increased anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory bacteria and reduced pro-inflammatory bacteria in HFD-fed mice.
• These dominant bacterial taxa altered by EEP were significantly associated with the metabolic parameters of insulin resistance and obesity.
Abstract
Propolis has beneficial effects anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes and anti-obesity in human or murine models, but its mechanism has not been fully elucidated. This study was to investigate the effects of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) on the gut microbiota, and to analyze the associations between these alterations of gut microbiota and insulin resistance and obesity in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with chow diet, high-fat diet, and high-fat diet supplemented with 1% EEP or 2%EEP. EEP supplementation reduced HFD-induced weight gain and liver fat accumulation, proinflammatory cytokines and insulin resistance, and improved glucose tolerance and lipid profile. Meanwhile, EEP supplementation in HFD-fed mice increased anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory bacteria such as genera Roseburia and Intestinimonas and species Parabacteroides goldsteinii and Parabacteroides distasonis, and reduced pro-inflammatory bacteria such as genera Faecalibaculum and Prevotella and species Bacteroides vulgatus. These dominant bacterial taxa altered by EEP were significantly associated with the metabolic parameters of insulin resistance and obesityin HFD-fed mice. The results in this study indicated that EEP reduced HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistant, which may be mediated by modulating the composition and function of gut microbiota.
* THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.