Heat-killed Bifidobacterium longum BBMN68 and inulin protect against high-fat diet-induced obesity by modulating gut microbiota.

Introduction: Obesity, a pervasive global epidemic, has heightened susceptibility to chronic ailments and diminished the overall life expectancy on a global scale. Probiotics and inulin (IN) have been documented to mitigate obesity by exerting an influence on the composition of the gut microbiota. Whether heat-killed Bifidobacterium longum BBMN68 (MN68) and IN have an anti-obesity effect remains to be investigated.
Methods: In this study, Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD), and orally administered heat-killed MN68 (2 × 10 ¹¹ CFU/kg) and/or inulin (0.25 kg/kg) for 12 weeks. Histological analysis, serology analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were performed.
Results: Heat-killed MN68 + IN treatment showed an enhanced effect on preventing weight gain, diminishing fat accumulation, and regulating lipid metabolism, compared to either heat-killed MN68 treatment or inulin treatment. Gut microbiota results showed that heat-killed MN68 + IN treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota , Oscillospira , Intestinimonas , Christensenella , and Candidatus_Stoquefichus , and reduced the relative abundance of Enterococcus . Furthermore, heat-killed MN68 + IN significantly increased the SCFA levels, which were correlated with changes in the gut microbiota.
Discussion: This research provides support for the application of heat-killed MN68 and IN in the treatment of obesity, and highlights the combination of heat-killed BBMN68 and IN as functional food ingredients.
Competing Interests: DL and HL were employed by Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd., China. HL, HM and XW were employed by Mengniu Hi-Tech Dairy (Beijing) Co., Ltd., China. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 Sun, Zhang, Li, Li, Ma, Wu, Li, Wang, Liu, Feng, Zhang, Sang, Fang and Wang.)