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Nopal is a cactus plant widely consumed in Mexico that has been used in traditional medicine to aid in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. We previously showed that chronic consumption of dehydrated nopal ameliorated hepatic steatosis in obese (fa/fa) rats; however, description of the effects on other tissues is sparse. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of nopal cladode consumption on intestinal physiology, microbial community structure, adipose tissue, and serum biochemistry in diet-induced obese rats. Rats were fed either a normal fat (NF) diet or a HF diet containing 4% of dietary fiber from either nopal or cellulose for 6 weeks. Consumption of nopal counteracted HF-induced adiposity and adipocyte hypertrophy, and induced profound changes in intestinal physiology. Nopal consumption reduced biomarkers of intestinal inflammation (mRNA expression of IL-6) and oxidative stress (ROS), modfied gut microbiota composition, increasing microbial diversity and cecal fermentation (SCFA), and altered the serum metabolome. Interestingly, metabolomic analysis of dehydrated nopal revealed a high choline content, which appeared to generate high levels of serum betaine, that correlated negatively with hepatic triglyceride (TAG) levels. A parallel decrease in some of the taxa associated with the production of trimethylamine, suggest an increase in choline absorption and bioavailability with transformation to betaine. The latter may partially explain the previously observed effect of nopal on the development of hepatic steatosis. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence on the effects of nopal consumption on normal and HF-diet induced changes in the intestine, the liver and systemic metabolism.

Objective: The increased prevalence of childhood metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a public health issue. It has been shown that a dysregulated bile acid (BA) profile could be involved in the development of MetS, in which the gut microbiota could have a significant role in BA levels. This study aimed to evaluate differences in serum BA levels in children with and without MetS and whether these levels were associated with gut microbial composition. Methods: A total of 100 children aged 10 to 12 years were enrolled in this study, 42 children with MetS (cases) and 58 control participants. Serum BAs were measured by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry and gut microbiota was determined by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Results: Children with MetS showed higher levels of total, secondary, and 12α‐hydroxylated BAs, as well as deoxycholic acid, and these were associated with dyslipidemia and insulin resistance markers. Interestingly, total BAs were negatively correlated with gut bacterial diversity (Shannon index: rho = −0.218, p = 0.035), whereas total, 12α‐hydroxylated, and secondary BAs, as well as deoxycholic acid, showed negative correlations with genera known for their potential health effects, including Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, and Faecalibacterium. Conclusions: This study suggests that childhood MetS is associated with a dysregulated BA pool and that these alterations could influence the abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria, thus contributing to gut microbial dysbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]