Black Current Anthocyanins Improve Lipid Metabolism and Modulate Gut Microbiota in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Scope This study aimed to explore the anti-obesity potential of blackcurrant anthocyanins (BCA) and investigate the correlation between the gut microbiota and the BCA-induced beneficial effects. Methods and Results Male C57BL/6J mice (n = 36) are randomly assigned into low-fat diet group (LFD), high-fat diet group (HFD), and BCA group feeding HFD supplemented with BCA for 12 weeks. Body weight and food intake are monitored weekly. Obesity-related biochemical indexes and the expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism are determined. Amplicon sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene is conducted to analyze the gut microbiota structure, and spearman correlation analysis is used to determine the correlations between gut microbiota and obesity-related indicators. The results showed that BCA treatment alleviated HFD-induced obesity, hyperlipemia, and hepatic steatosis. Moreover, BCA supplement improved hepatic lipid metabolism by regulating the expression of genes related to the synthesis and degradation of lipids and cholesterols. Microbial analysis revealed that BCA supplementation significantly changed the overall structure and composition of the gut microbiota, and resulted in an enrichment of Akkermansia_muciniphila, which is negatively correlated with the physical biomarkers. Conclusion This study demonstrated that BCA supplement could be a beneficial treatment for preventing HFD-induced obesity by targeting microbiota.