Obesity-Related Metabolome and Gut Microbiota Profiles of Juvenile Göttingen Minipigs—Long-Term Intake of Fructose and Resistant Starch

• Published in: Metabolites 2020-11, Vol.10 (11), p.456
• Main Authors: Curtasu, Mihai V., Tafintseva, Valeria, Bendiks, Zachary A., Marco, Maria L., Kohler, Achim, Xu, Yetong, Nørskov, Natalja P., Nygaard Lærke, Helle, Bach Knudsen, Knud Erik, Hedemann, Mette Skou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Amylose; Carbohydrates; Chromatography; Classification; Diabetes mellitus; Diet; Fatty acids; Fecal microflora; Feces; Fructose; High fat diet; Intestinal microflora; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolites; Metabolomics; Microbiota; miniature pigs; multi-block analysis; nutrition; Obesity; Peptides; Physiology; Plasma; Starch; Taxonomy; Urine; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 2218-1989; 2218-1989
• DOI: 10.3390/metabo10110456

The metabolome and gut microbiota were investigated in a juvenile Göttingen minipig model. This study aimed to explore the metabolic effects of two carbohydrate sources with different degrees of risk in obesity development when associated with a high fat intake. A high-risk (HR) high-fat diet containing 20% fructose was compared to a control lower-risk (LR) high-fat diet where a similar amount of carbohydrate was provided as a mix of digestible and resistant starch from high amylose maize. Both diets were fed ad libitum. Non-targeted metabolomics was used to explore plasma, urine, and feces samples over five months. Plasma and fecal short-chain fatty acids were targeted and quantified. Fecal microbiota was analyzed using genomic sequencing. Data analysis was performed using sparse multi-block partial least squares regression. The LR diet increased concentrations of fecal and plasma total short-chain fatty acids, primarily acetate, and there was a higher relative abundance of microbiota associated with acetate production such as Bacteroidetes and Ruminococcus. A higher proportion of Firmicutes was measured with the HR diet, together with a lower alpha diversity compared to the LR diet. Irrespective of diet, the ad libitum exposure to the high-energy diets was accompanied by well-known biomarkers associated with obesity and diabetes, particularly branched-chain amino acids, keto acids, and other catabolism metabolites.