Obesity prevention of synthetic polysaccharides in high-fat diet fed C57BL/6 mice

The effect of novel synthetic polysaccharides such as polydextrose and galactoglucomannan to host physiology has not been well studied. This study was conducted to test the impact of synthetic polysaccharides on lipid metabolism, antioxidant activity, and the composition of gut microbiota of mice fed with high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that HFD supplemented with polysaccharides induced positive effects in relation to serum endotoxin, blood glucose, serum and liver lipids, decreased fat accumulation and Lee obesity index, and reduced liver adipose steatosis. Fifteen week treatment with polysaccharides significantly decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and increased total antioxidant capacity and the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. The polysaccharides improved gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by HFD, including increasing the Bacteroidetes-to-Firmicutes ratios, significantly inhibiting the growth of Enterococcus faecalis, and promoting proliferation of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Furthermore, polysaccharides significantly increased the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in vitro. Thus, synthetic polysaccharides can be used as potential functional foods. Moreover, it can sufficiently decrease the risk of obesity and restore liver redox status under oxidative stress conditions mediated by HFD possibly by regulating gut microbes and increasing acetate, propionate, and butyrate.