Pectin Alleviates High Fat (Lard) Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic
Fatty Liver Disease in Mice: Possible Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids
and Gut Microbiota Regulated by Pectin
Consumption
of pectin contributes to changes in the gut microbiota
and the metabolism of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). We aimed to
investigate the effects of and mechanism by which pectin prevented
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice that were fed a high-fat
diet containing 30% lard (HF). HF-fed mice that orally ingested pectin
for 8 weeks exhibited improvements in lipid metabolism and decreased
oxidative stress and inflammation through a mechanism regulated by
the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Pectin dose-dependently
generated an increase in acetic acid (from 566.4 ± 26.6 to 694.6
± 35.9 μmol/mL, <i>p</i> < 0.05) and propionic
acid (from 474.1 ± 84.3 to 887.0 ± 184.7 μmol/mL, <i>p</i> < 0.05) contents and significantly increased the relative
abundance of Bacteroides (from 0.27%
to 11.6%), Parabacteroides (from 3.9‰
to 5.3%), Olsenella (from 2.9‰
to 1.3%), and Bifidobacterium (from
0.03% to 1.9%) in the gut of HF-fed mice. Intestinal microbiota and
SCFAs may thus contribute to the well-established link between pectin
consumption and NAFLD
