Integrative analysis reveals the anti-obesity roles of Poria cocos polysaccharides through beneficial effects on gut microbiota

Abstract

Obesity is a global health problem that is characterized with metabolic disorders. And new medicine for obesity is developed needfully. In this study, we investigated the beneficial anti-obesity effects of Poria Cocos polysaccharides (PCP) through modulation of fatty acid metabolism and gut microbiota in vivo. PCP, the functional nutrient components, have gained attention due to emerging pharmacological properties. Plant polysaccharides have also shown promising application for the treatment of metabolic diseases. However, the correlative mechanisms of PCP-exhibited anti-obesity effects via targeting fatty acid metabolism remain unclear. Therefore, we employed a network pharmacology approach combined with 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing to explore the anti-obesity actions, targets, and metabolic mechanisms exerted by PCP. By using public databases for comprehensive analysis, we identified 35 genes that were mutual with PCP, obesity, and fatty acid metabolism. These genes could play crucial roles in inflammation, adipogenesis, lipid metabolism, and insulin signaling regulation. Furthermore, current results demonstrated that PCP attenuated the activation of the inflammatory signaling pathway in adipose tissue caused by high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. PCP showed benefits in reducing the inflammatory processes and improving metabolic disturbance. Base on metagenomic sequencing report, PCP might restore the gut microbiota composition and diversity, thereby meliorating fatty acid metabolism and energy homeostasis. Further 16S rRNA findings revealed changes in gut microbial profiles, including altered Eisenbergiella, Dorea, Proteiniphilum and Lachnospira in response to PCP treatment. Overall, our study provides insights into the beneficial actions of PCP for exhibiting anti-obesity effects through improving fatty acid metabolism and gut microbiota homeostasis in vivo, suggesting that PCP may be a therapeutic strategy for obesity and metabolic disorders.