This study was supported financially
(Grant-Aid Agreement No. MFFRI/07/01) under the Sea Change Strategy with the support of the Marine Institute and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, funded under the National Development Plan 2007–2013.peer-reviewedThe potential of natural products to prevent obesity have been investigated, with evidence
to suggest that chitosan has anti-obesity effects. The current experiment investigated the
anti-obesity potential of prawn shell derived chitosan on a range of variables relevant to
obesity in a pig model. The two dietary treatment groups included in this 63 day study were:
T1) basal diet and T2) basal diet plus 1000 ppm chitosan (n = 20 gilts per group (70 ± 0.90
kg). The parameter categories which were assessed included: performance, nutrient digestibility,
serum leptin concentrations, nutrient transporter and digestive enzyme gene expression
and gut microbial populations. Pigs offered chitosan had reduced feed intake and final
body weight (P< 0.001), lower ileal digestibility of dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE) (P<
0.05) and reduced coefficient of apparent total tract digestibility (CATTD) of gross energy
and nitrogen (P<0.05) when compared to the basal group. Fatty acid binding protein 2
(FABP2) gene expression was down-regulated in pigs offered chitosan (P = 0.05) relative to
the basal diet. Serum leptin concentrations increased (P< 0.05) in animals offered the chitosan
diet compared to pigs offered the basal diet. Fatness traits, back-fat depth (mm), fat
content (kg), were significantly reduced while lean meat (%) was increased (P<0.05) in chitosan
supplemented pigs. Pigs offered chitosan had decreased numbers of Firmicutes in
the colon (P <0.05), and Lactobacillus spp. in both the caecum (P <0.05) and colon (P
<0.001). Bifidobacteria populations were increased in the caecum of animals offered the
chitosan diet (P <0.05). In conclusion, these findings suggest that prawn shell chitosan has
potent anti-obesity/body weight control effects which are mediated through multiple biological
systems in vivo.This study was supported financially
(Grant-Aid Agreement No. MFFRI/07/01) under the Sea Change Strategy with the support of the Marine Institute and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, funded under the National Development Plan 2007–2013