Prebiotic supplementation (beta-glucan and inulin) attenuates circadian misalignment induced by shifted light-dark cycle in mice by modulating circadian gene expression

• Published in: Food research international 2020-11, Vol.137, p.109437-109437, Article 109437
• Main Authors: Cheng, Wai-Yin, Lam, Ka-Lung, Pik-Shan Kong, Alice, Chi-Keung Cheung, Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; beta-Glucans; Chrononutrition; Circadian rhythm; Diurnal rhythmicity; Gene Expression; Inulin - pharmacology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nutrigenetics; Photoperiod; Polysaccharide; Prebiotics; Rhythmicity analysis; Shift work
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109437

[Display omitted] •Presence of diurnal rhythmicity is observed in both core and peripheral tissues.•Weekly shifted light-dark cycle can lead to circadian misalignment.•Beta-glucan and inulin modulate expression and phase of circadian clock genes.•Beta-glucan and inulin supplementation alleviate circadian desynchrony. Circadian rhythm governs multiple behavioural and physiological processes and its disruption is closely associated with various pathological conditions. In this study, the effects of dietary intervention by prebiotics including beta-glucan and inulin on attenuating circadian desynchrony in C57BL/6J mice subjected to weekly shifted light–dark cycle under a high fat diet was investigated. Using RT-qPCR and rhythmicity analysis, our study revealed that beta-glucan (0.2 g/day) and inulin (0.2 g/day) modulated the expression and phase of circadian-clock genes, explicitly reversed the phase delay of Period 1 and Period 3 in the hypothalamus, and reversed the phase delay of Period 2 in the liver of the mice. In the shifted mouse group, inulin also exhibited its reversal effects on the phase advance of Brain and muscle-Arnt-like 1 in the hypothalamus. These findings indicated that prebiotic supplementation can be a novel dietary approach for attenuating circadian misalignment.