Effects of combined D-fagomine and omega-3 PUFAs on gut microbiota subpopulations and diabetes risk factors in rats fed a high-fat diet

Food contains bioactive compounds that may prevent changes in gut microbiota associated with Westernized diets. The aim of this study is to explore the possible additive effects of D-fagomine and omega-3 PUFAs (EPA/DHA 1:1) on gut microbiota and related risk factors during early stages in the development of fat-induced pre-diabetes. Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed a standard diet, or a high-fat (HF) diet supplemented with D-fagomine, EPA/DHA 1:1, a combination of both, or neither, for 24 weeks. The variables measured were fasting glucose and glucose tolerance, plasma insulin, liver inflammation, fecal/cecal gut bacterial subgroups and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The animals supplemented with D-fagomine alone and in combination with omega-3 PUFAs accumulated less fat than those in the non-supplemented HF group and those given only omega-3 PUFAs. The combined supplements attenuated the high-fat-induced incipient insulin resistance (IR), and liver inflammation, while increasing the cecal content, the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio and the populations of Bifidobacteriales. The functional effects of the combination of D-fagomine and EPA/DHA 1:1 against gut dysbiosis and the very early metabolic alterations induced by a high-fat diet are mainly those of D-fagomine complemented by the anti-inflammatory action of omega-3 PUFAs.