Dietary polysaccharides from dragon fruit pomace, a co-product of the fruit processing industry, exhibit therapeutic potential in high-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders
Guanghui Li, Yunhua He, Ahluk Liew, Chen Huang, Bingbing Song, Xuejing Jia, Malairaj Sathuvan, Saiyi Zhong, Kit‐Leong Cheong
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of metabolic disorders, often associated with high-fat diets (HFD), highlights the need for new therapeutic approaches, especially from natural sources. Dragon fruit pomace, a by-product of the fruit processing industry, is rich in polysaccharides with potential health benefits. This study investigates the effects of dragon fruit pomace-derived polysaccharides (PDPS) in alleviating HFD-induced metabolic dysfunction. Treatment with PDPS in mice fed a high-fat diet led to significant decreases in body weight increase, abdominal fat accumulation, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations, along with a notable elevation in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations. PDPS also improved glucose tolerance and prevented fat accumulation in the liver and adipose tissue. Additionally, PDPS exhibited anti-inflammatory properties, evidenced by reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) in the liver. Gut microbiota analysis indicated a shift toward beneficial bacteria, such as Romboutsia, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002, and Blautia. These findings suggest that PDPS may mitigate HFD-induced metabolic issues by enhancing lipid metabolism, glycemic control, and gut health, positioning it as a promising, sustainable functional ingredient for dietary interventions aimed at managing metabolic disorders.