Microbiome and metabolic disorders related to obesity: Which lessons to learn from experimental models?

•Alterations of the gut microbiota have been related to obesity and metabolic diseases.•Microbiota may influence obesity and related diseases by acting on key gut functions.•Use of mouse models is crucial to relate gut microbiota and metabolic diseases.•Efforts are needed to standardize mouse models of diet-induced obesity with dysbiosis.

BackgroundDysbiosis, meaning alterations of the gut microbiota composition or function, has been related to obesity and metabolic diseases. Experimental models of obesity in mice suggest the involvement of microbiota in the modulation of gut immunity, gut barrier and gut endocrine function. However, discrepancies exist between data reported in different studies.Scope and approachTaking into account the published data relating gut microbiota analysis and host metabolism in models of high fat diet induced obesity, one of the objective is to point out the rationale for choosing the adequate experimental model allowing to recapitulate dysbiosis and metabolic diseases, with a focus on data related to gut endocrine function and immunity in the context of obesity.Key findings and conclusionsEfforts are needed to standardize the experimental models of obesity allowing to evaluate how dysbiosis is assessed taking into account the adequate control diet, the choice of the genetic background following the question addressed and the duration of the treatment. Those parameters must be defined before proposing preclinical models to evaluate the relevance of probiotic or prebiotic approaches in the control of obesity and related metabolic diseases.