Butyrate reduces high-fat diet-induced metabolic alterations hepaticsteatosis and pancreatic beta cell and intestinal barrier dysfunctions in prediabeticmice

摘要

In this study, we investigated the effect of diet supplementation with sodium butyrate (5% w/w), a short-chain fatty acid produced by the intestinal microbiota, on metabolic parameters, body adiposity, hepatic and pancreatic lipid accumulation, beta cell function/mass as well as on the structure and function of the tight junction-mediated intestinal epithelial barrier in both normal and obese/prediabetic C57 mice fed a regular (control) or high-fat diet for 60 days, respectively. Butyrate treatment significantly inhibited all the high-fat-induced metabolic dysfunctions evaluated, i.e. significantly reduced the weight gain and body adiposity as well as the insulin resistant state, hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, without changing food intake. In addition, high-fat-fed mice treated with this short-chain fatty acid displayed no compensatory hyperplasia of pancreatic beta cells nor marked hepatic steatosis as seen in prediabetic mice after high-fat diet only. Isolated pancreatic islets from high-fat-fed mice treated with butyrate showed improvement of the insulin secretion, which was associated with a significant decrease in lipid accumulation within the pancreas. Butyrate enhanced the intestinal epithelial barrier, as revealed by the FITC-Dextran permeability assay, which was accompanied by a significant increase in the junctional content of the tight junction-associated claudin-1 in intestinal epithelia of jejunum, ileum, and colon of bothcontrol and high-fat mice. In conclusion, our results showed that diet supplementationwith butyrate inhibits the deleterious effects of high-fat diet intake on metabolicparameters and structure/function of several tissues/organs associated with type 2diabetes mellitus in a mouse model, suggesting a potential use of this short-chain fattyacid in the treatment of this endocrine-metabolic disorder.Impact statementButyrate is a short-chain fatty acid produced by the intestinal microbiota through thefermentation of non-absorbable carbohydrates and proteins (e.g. fibers). Sodium butyrateincorporated into the diet displayed a protective action on metabolic, hepatic,pancreatic and intestinal alterations induced by high-fat diet in mice, resulting insignificant inhibition of the development of a prediabetic state. Thus, our data suggestthat butyrate may have a potential therapeutic use in the treatment of type 2 diabetesand related disorders.