Effects of Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide and Cellulase Modifications on the Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Forsythia suspensa Dietary Fiber.

Besides active substances, Forsythia suspensa is rich in dietary fiber (DF), but it is often wasted or discarded and not put to good use. In order to improve the function of Forsythia DF, it was modified using alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) and cellulase (EM). Compared to the control DF (ODF), the DF modified using AHP (AHDF) and EM (EMDF) had a looser microstructure, lower crystallinity, and higher oil holding capacity (OHC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The AHP treatment significantly increased the water holding capacity (WHC) and water swelling ability (WSA) of the DF, while the EM treatment achieved just the opposite. Moreover, the functional properties of AHDF and EMDF, including their cholesterol adsorption capacity (CAC), nitrite ion adsorption capacity (NAC), glucose adsorption capacity (GAC), glucose dialysis retardation index (GDRI), α-amylase inhibitory activity, and DPPH radical scavenging activity, were far better than those of ODF. Together, the results revealed that AHP and EM modifications could effectively improve or enhance the physicochemical and functional properties of Forsythia suspensa DF.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 Enhances Fatty Acid ß-Oxidation of Adipose Tissue to Ameliorate the Development of Obesity in Mice.

Fatty acid ß-oxidation (FAO) is confirmed to be impaired in obesity, especially in adipose tissues. We previously proved that Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 (BAA6) had protective effects against diet-induced obesity. However, whether BAA6 enhances FAO to ameliorate the development of obesity has not been explored. After being fed with high-fat diet (HFD) for 9 weeks, male C57BL/6J mice were fed HFD or BAA6 for 8 weeks. In vitro study was carried out using 3T3-L1 adipocytes to determine the effect of BAA6 culture supernatant (BAA6-CM). Here, we showed that administration of BAA6 to mice fed with HFD decreased body weight gain (by 5.03 g) and significantly up-regulated FAO in epididymal adipose tissues. In parallel, FAO in 3T3-L1 cells was increased after BAA6-CM treatment. Acetate was identified as a constituent of BAA6-CM that showed a similar effect to BAA6-CM. Furthermore, acetate treatment activated the GPR43-PPARα signaling, thereby promoting FAO in 3T3-L1 cells. The levels of acetate were also elevated in serum and feces (by 1.92- and 2.27-fold) of HFD-fed mice following BAA6 administration. The expression levels of GPR43 and PPARα were increased by 55.45% and 69.84% after BAA6 supplement in the epididymal fat of mice. Together, these data reveal that BAA6 promotes FAO of adipose tissues through the GPR43-PPARα signaling, mainly by increasing acetate levels, leading to alleviating the development of obesity.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 Alleviates Obesity Associated with Promoting Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Function of Adipose Tissue in Mice.

Probiotics are widely known for their health benefits. Mitochondrial dysfunction is related to obesity. The aim of this study was to illuminate whether Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 (BAA6) could improve obesity due to increased mitochondrial biogenesis and function of adipose tissues. Four-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 17 weeks. For the final eight weeks, the HFD group was divided into three groups including HFD, HFD with BAA6 (HFD + BAA6 group), and HFD with Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) (HFD + AKK group as positive control). The composition of the microbiota, serum lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and mitochondrial biosynthesis and function of epididymal adipose tissues were measured. Compared with the HFD group, body weight, relative fat weight, the relative abundance of Oscillibacter and Bilophila, and serum LPS were significantly decreased in the HFD + BAA6 and HFD + AKK groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the addition of BAA6 and AKK increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) (by 21.53- and 18.51-fold), estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) (by 2.83- and 1.24-fold), and uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) (by 1.51- and 0.60-fold) in epididymal adipose tissues. Our results suggest that BAA6 could improve obesity associated with promoting mitochondrial biogenesis and function of adipose tissues in mice.