<i>Cornus officinalis</i> vinegar alters the gut microbiota, regulating lipid droplet changes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease model mice
Li Cao, Ying Wu, Kaiyu Liu, Ning-Xian Qi, Jie Zhang, Shanshan Tie, Xuan Li, Pingping Tian, Shaobin Gu
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of <i>Cornus officinalis</i> vinegar on gut microbiota and hepatic lipid droplet in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) model mice. The C57BL/6J male mice were divided into three treatment groups: Control group (CON group) fed with a purified diet; high fat diet (HFD) group and <i>C. officinalis</i> vinegar treatment (CVT) group fed with high fat diet. After 10 weeks, the CVT group was orally administered with <i>C. officinalis</i> vinegar once a day for 6 weeks. We found that <i>C.officinalis</i> vinegar improved gut microbiota, significantly reduced body weight and liver injury of HFD-fed mice. Observation of histopathology and ultrastructure showed that <i>C.officinalis</i> vinegar improved histological changes, reduced size and number of lipid droplets. Additionally, <i>C.officinalis</i> vinegar significantly inhibited the expression of perilipin 2 (PLIN-2) and increased the expression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL). In conclusion, <i>C. officinalis</i> vinegar could exert beneficial effects on NAFLD through modulation of gut microbiota and lipid droplets.