Effect and Correlation of Rosa roxburghii Tratt Fruit Vinegar on Obesity, Dyslipidemia and Intestinal Microbiota Disorder in High-Fat Diet Mice

Abstract

To investigate the effect of Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit vinegar (RFV) on the intervention of obesity and hyperlipidemia and its potential mechanism, a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity model in mice was established and gavaged with RFV, saline and xuezhikang for 30 consecutive days, respectively. The results showed that RFV supplementation significantly reduced fat accumulation, and improved dyslipidemia and liver inflammation in HFD mice. RFV intervention for 30 days significantly improved the diversity of gut microbiota and altered the structure of gut microbiota in HFD mice. Compared with the model group (MC), the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes at least decreased by 15.75% after RFV treatment, and increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Lactobacillaceae, Bacteroides, Akkermansia,) and decreased the relative abundance of harmful bacteria (Ruminococcaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Ruminococcaceae _UCG-013, Lachnospiraceae, Allobaculum, Actinobacteria). Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that Erysipelotrichaceae, Allobaculum, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-013, uncultured_bacterium_f_Lachnospiraceae and Desulfobacterota were positively correlated (p < 0.05) with the body weight of mice, while Proteobacteria was negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with the body weight of mice. The two main bacteria that could promote dyslipidemia in obese mice were Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, while those that played a mitigating role were mainly Bacteroidetes. It is concluded that RFV plays an important role in the intervention of obesity and related complications in HFD mice by regulating their gut microbiota.

Keywords: Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit vinegar; correlation; dyslipidemia; gut microbiota regulation; obesity.

Figure 1

Production process of Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit vinegar. All starter concentrations reached 10⁸ log CFU mL⁻¹ in juices. Values are displayed as a bar chart plot with means (expressed as ‘+’), n = 3.

Figure 2

Body weight changes, body weight gain in mice fed experimental diets for 30 days. (A) Body weight changes; (B) body weight gain. Values are displayed as a bar chart plot with means (expressed as ‘+’), n = 3. a–e: bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s post hoc test. NC: normal group (normal feed, 0.9% saline); MC: model group (HFD, 0.9% saline); PC: positive group (HFD, 0.5 mg/mL xuezhikang capsules); LD: RFV low dose group (HFD, 10% RFV); MD: RFV medium dose group (HFD, 30% of RFV); HD: RFV high dose group (HFD, 50% of RFV).

Figure 3

Lipid profiles in mice fed experimental diets for 30 days. Serum levels of TG (A); HDL-C (B); LDL-C (C) and TC (D) were measured in the experimental mice. Values are displayed as a bar chart plot with means (expressed as ‘+’), n = 3. a–f: bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s post hoc test. NC: normal group (normal feed, 0.9% saline); MC: model group (HFD, 0.9% saline); PC: positive group (HFD, 0.5 mg/mL xuezhikang capsules); LD: RFV low dose group (HFD, 10% RFV); MD: RFV medium dose group (HFD, 30% of RFV); HD: RFV high dose group (HFD, 50% of RFV).

Figure 4

Liver oxidative stress in mice fed experimental diets for 30 days. (A) CAT; (B) GSH; (C) MDA; (D) SOD. Values are displayed as a bar chart plot with means (expressed as ‘+’), n = 3. a–d: bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s post hoc test. NC: normal group (normal feed, 0.9% saline); MC: model group (HFD, 0.9% saline); PC: positive group (HFD, 0.5 mg/mL xuezhikang capsules); LD: RFV low dose group (HFD, 10% RFV); MD: RFV medium dose group (HFD, 30% of RFV); HD: RFV high dose group (HFD, 50% of RFV).

Figure 5

Hepatic lipid accumulation in mice fed experimental diets for 30 days. H&E staining of liver specimens. NC: normal group (normal feed, 0.9% saline); MC: model group (HFD, 0.9% saline); PC: positive group (HFD, 0.5 mg/mL xuezhikang capsules); LD: RFV low dose group (HFD, 10% RFV); MD: RFV medium dose group (HFD, 30% of RFV); HD: RFV high dose group (HFD, 50% of RFV).

Figure 6

Rarefaction curve, Shannon and Chao 1 index of sequencing reads of the bacterial 16S rDNA gene from the cecum contents samples. (A) OUT numbers, (B) Shannon indexes, (C) Chao 1 indexes. Values are displayed as a bar chart plot with means (expressed as ‘+’), n = 3. a–f: bars with different letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 by Tukey’s post hoc test. NC: normal group (normal feed, 0.9% saline); MC: model group (HFD, 0.9% saline); PC: positive group (HFD, 0.5 mg/mL xuezhikang capsules); LD: RFV low dose group (HFD, 10% RFV); MD: RFV medium dose group (HFD, 30% of RFV); HD: RFV high dose group (HFD, 50% of RFV).

Figure 7

Effects of RFV on the gut microbiota. (A) Relative abundance of gut microbiota at the phylum level; (B) Relative abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria; (C) Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio. Each phylum is represented by a unique color. NC: normal group (normal feed, 0.9% saline); MC: model group (HFD, 0.9% saline); PC: positive group (HFD, 0.5 mg/mL xuezhikang capsules); LD: RFV low dose group (HFD, 10% RFV); MD: RFV medium dose group (HFD, 30% of RFV); HD: RFV high dose group (HFD, 50% of RFV).

Figure 8

Effects of RFV on gut microbiota of HFD-induced obese mice. Relative abundance of gut microbiota at the family and genus level. (A) family level; (B) genus level. Each family or genus is represented by a unique color. NC: normal group (normal feed, 0.9% saline); MC: model group (HFD, 0.9% saline); PC: positive group (HFD, 0.5 mg/mL xuezhikang capsules); LD: RFV low dose group (HFD, 10% RFV); MD: RFV medium dose group (HFD, 30% of RFV); HD: RFV high dose group (HFD, 50% of RFV).

Figure 9

Spearman correlations between obesity-related parameters and microbiota. A blue designates a negative correlation, while a red shows a positive correlation. * (p < 0.05), ** (p < 0.01). WG in the graph represents weight body gain. WG: weight gain in mice; TC: total cholesterol; TG: triacylglycerol, HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SOD: total superoxide dismutase; MDA: malondialdehyde; GSH: Glutathione, CAT: catalase.