Mannan Oligosaccharide Suppresses Lipid Accumulation and Appetite in Western-Diet-Induced Obese Mice Via Reshaping Gut Microbiome and Enhancing Short-Chain Fatty Acids Production

Scope Obesity is associated with gut microbiome dysbiosis. Mannose oligosaccharide (MOS) has been reported to be a potential prebiotic. The present study is aimed to determine the effects of MOS on western-diet-induced obesity and to uncover the mediating roles of the gut microbiota and microbial metabolites. Methods and results Three-month-old male ICR mice are fed with a high-fat and high-fructose diet for 8 weeks. The diet-induced obese mice are then orally administrated with MOS (100 and 200 mg kg(-1) d(-1)) for 4 weeks. MOS significantly reduces bodyweight gain, insulin resistance, fatty liver, and inflammatory responses in obese mice. MOS also stimulates lipolysis and inhibits lipogenesis in the adipose tissues. Moreover, MOS restructures the gut microbiome by enhancing the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in obese mice. The microbial metabolite SCFAs are also increased in the feces and serum. Correlation analysis indicates that the appetite suppression and lipid-lowering effects of MOS are highly correlated with the butyrate levels. Conclusion MOS suppresses the appetite, which results in less lipid deposition. The lower appetite is likely due to an altered gut microbiome and elevated SCFAs production. MOS may be a potential nutraceutical used in body weight management and gut health improvement.