Chitosan attenuates obesity by modifying the intestinal microbiota and increasing serum leptin levels in mice

Chitosan has been applied as a food additive due to its prebiotic functions, while the relationship between changes in the intestinal microbiota caused by chitosan and weight loss remains unclear. This study confirmed the weight control effect of chitosan in the context of high-fat diet consumption. Interestingly, chitosan increased the serum leptin level in the high-fat diet groups and increased the oral glucose tolerance in the low-fat diet groups. Chitosan reduced the chronic inflammation caused by high-fat diet consumption. Moreover, the intestinal microbiome was influenced by the chitosan intervention as the feeding time increased. Chitosan supplementation increased the anti-obesity-related species, such as Coprobacillus cateniformis and Clostridium leptum, and significantly decreased Clostridium lactatifermentans and Clostridium cocleatum. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Coprobacillus cateniformis and Clostridium leptum were positively correlated with serum leptin. This study suggests that the prebiotic effect of chitosan is closely related to the modification of the gut microbiota.