» Articles » PMID: 27467905

Importance of Propionate for the Repression of Hepatic Lipogenesis and Improvement of Insulin Sensitivity in High-fat Diet-induced Obesity

Overview
Date 2016 Jul 29
PMID 27467905
Citations 71
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Scope: The SCFA acetate (Ac) and propionate (Pr) are major fermentation products of dietary fibers and provide additional energy to the host. We investigated short- and long-term effects of dietary Ac and Pr supplementation on diet-induced obesity and hepatic lipid metabolism.

Methods And Results: C3H/HeOuJ mice received high-fat (HF) diets supplemented with 5% SCFA in different Ac:Pr ratios, a high acetate (HF-HAc; 2.5:1 Ac:Pr) or high Pr ratio (HF-HPr; 1:2.5 Ac:Pr) for 6 or 22 weeks. Control diets (low-fat (LF), HF) contained no SCFA. SCFA did not affect body composition but reduced hepatic gene and protein expression of lipogenic enzymes leading to a reduced hepatic triglyceride concentration after 22 weeks in HF-HPr mice. Analysis of long-chain fatty acid composition (liver and plasma phospholipids) showed that supplementation of both ratios led to a lower ω6:ω3 ratio. Pr directly led to increased odd-chain fatty acid (C15:0, C17:0) formation as confirmed in vitro using HepG2 cells. Remarkably, plasma C15:0 was correlated with the attenuation of HF diet-induced insulin resistance.

Conclusion: Dependent on the Ac:Pr ratio, especially odd-chain fatty acid formation and insulin sensitivity are differentially affected, indicating the importance of Pr.

Citing Articles

Impact of Dietary Fiber on Inflammation in Humans.

Kabisch S, Hajir J, Sukhobaevskaia V, Weickert M, Pfeiffer A Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(5).

PMID: 40076626 PMC: 11900212. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26052000.


Gut microbiota-derived short chain fatty acids act as mediators of the gut-liver-brain axis.

Li C, Yao J, Yang C, Yu S, Yang Z, Wang L Metab Brain Dis. 2025; 40(2):122.

PMID: 39921774 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-025-01554-5.


Green Radish Polysaccharide Prevents Alcoholic Liver Injury by Interfering with Intestinal Bacteria and Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Mice.

Geng X, Zhuang M, Tian W, Shang H, Gong Z, Lv Y Foods. 2024; 13(23).

PMID: 39682806 PMC: 11639836. DOI: 10.3390/foods13233733.


Biotics and bacterial function: impact on gut and host health.

Kandari A, Odat M, Alzaid F, Scott K ISME J. 2024; 18(1).

PMID: 39499657 PMC: 11631128. DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae226.


The effect of glucomannan supplementation on lipid profile in adults: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis.

Musazadeh V, Rostami R, Moridpour A, Hosseini Z, Nikpayam O, Falahatzadeh M BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2024; 24(1):545.

PMID: 39385065 PMC: 11465682. DOI: 10.1186/s12872-024-04223-0.


References
1.
Boillot J, ALAMOWITCH C, Berger A, Luo J, Bruzzo F, Bornet F . Effects of dietary propionate on hepatic glucose production, whole-body glucose utilization, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in normal rats. Br J Nutr. 1995; 73(2):241-51. DOI: 10.1079/bjn19950026. View

2.
Zhao L . The gut microbiota and obesity: from correlation to causality. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2013; 11(9):639-47. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro3089. View

3.
Simopoulos A . The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. Biomed Pharmacother. 2002; 56(8):365-79. DOI: 10.1016/s0753-3322(02)00253-6. View

4.
Venter C, Vorster H, Cummings J . Effects of dietary propionate on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in healthy volunteers. Am J Gastroenterol. 1990; 85(5):549-53. View

5.
Turnbaugh P, Backhed F, Fulton L, Gordon J . Diet-induced obesity is linked to marked but reversible alterations in the mouse distal gut microbiome. Cell Host Microbe. 2008; 3(4):213-23. PMC: 3687783. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2008.02.015. View