High-fat diet causes psychiatric disorders in mice by increasing Proteobacteria population

The excessive intake of a high-fat diet (HFD) leads to obesity, including metabolic syndromes, disturbs gut microbiota composition, causes colitis, and increases the plasma concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the present study, we examined the role of gut microbiota in the occurrence of HFD-induced psychiatric disorders in mice. C57BL/6 J male mice fed a HFD for 9 weeks were led to obesity; their memory impairment was assessed by the Y-maze and novel object recognition test, and anxiety-like behaviors by the elevated plus maze. The intake of a HFD suppressed brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus and increased blood TNF-alpha and LPS levels. HFD treatment more potently increased NF-kappa B activation and Iba1(+) (microglial) cell populations in the hippocampus. Furthermore, HFD feeding increased TNF-alpha expression, myeloperoxidase activity, and CD11b(+)/CD11c(+) cell (macrophages and dendritic cells) populations in the colon and altered gut microbiota composition including increases in the Proteobacteria population, and increases in fecal LPS levels. The stool lysates of HFD-treated mice suppressed BDNF expression and CREB phosphorylation in SH-SY5Y cells and increased NF-kappa B activation in BV-2 microglial cells compared to those of low-fat diet-treated mice while these effects were attenuated by treatment with anti-LPS antibody. These findings suggest that excessive intake of HFD can simultaneously cause obesity and psychiatric disorders by suppressing hippocampal BDNF expression with the disturbance of gut microbiota composition, particularly the increase in Proteobacteria population and LPS production.