Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 21, 2022; 28(43): 6131-6156
Published online Nov 21, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i43.6131
Salvia miltiorrhiza extract may exert an anti-obesity effect in rats with high-fat diet-induced obesity by modulating gut microbiome and lipid metabolism
Zi-Li Ai, Xian Zhang, Wei Ge, You-Bao Zhong, Hai-Yan Wang, Zheng-Yun Zuo, Duan-Yong Liu
Zi-Li Ai, Xian Zhang, Department of Postgraduate, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, Jiangxi Province, China
Wei Ge, Department of Proctology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
You-Bao Zhong, Laboratory Animal Research Center for Science and Technology, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, Jiangxi Province, China
Hai-Yan Wang, Zheng-Yun Zuo, Duan-Yong Liu, Formula-Pattern Research Center, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, Jiangxi Province, China
Author contributions: Ai ZL and Zhang X contributed equally to this work; Zhong YB and Ge W performed the experiments; Liu DY, Wang HY, and Zuo ZY contributed reagents/materials/analytical tools; Liu DY and Ge W analyzed the data; Ai ZL and Liu DY wrote the paper; Zuo ZY and Wang HY conceived and designed the experiments.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82060836; Jiangxi Province Graduate Student Innovation Special Fund Project, No. YC2021-B146; and Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Innovation Team Development Program, No. CXTD22008.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine (Formula-Pattern Research Center).
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by the Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine Animal Care and Use Committee (Approval No. JZLLSC2021-236).
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Data sharing statement: No additional unpublished data are available.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE Guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE Guidelines.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hai-Yan Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, Formula-Pattern Research Center, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Meiling Avenue 1688, Nanchang 330004, Jiangxi Province, China. 378278287@qq.com
Received: August 25, 2022
Peer-review started: August 25, 2022
First decision: September 2, 2022
Revised: September 21, 2022
Accepted: October 31, 2022
Article in press: October 31, 2022
Published online: November 21, 2022
Processing time: 83 Days and 1.3 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Obesity is a world health problem. A growing number of studies have suggested that gut microbiota is an important regulator of host metabolism, and the dysregulation or imbalance of gut microbiota (GM) is closely related to obesity and its complications. Mounting evidence suggests that improving the structure of the GM balance to regulate metabolism, particularly lipid metabolism, is a viable strategy for treating obesity or obesity-related disease.

Research motivation

Salvia miltiorrhiza extract (Sal) has shown good efficacy in experimental obese rats induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Also, disturbances in gut microbiota have been observed in various diseases, including metabolic disease. However, few studies have explored the role of Sal on gut microbiota and lipid metabolism when treating obesity.

Research objectives

To investigate whether Sal can alleviate obesity induced by an HFD by regulating gut microbiome and lipid metabolism.

Research methods

Rats were given an HFD (with purified ingredients and a total caloric value of 475 Kcal/100 g, with lard as the main source of fat) for 7 wk, while Sal (0.675 g/1.35 g/2.70 g/kg/d) was administered for 8 wk. Serum lipid test, liver and fat tissue histopathologic examination, ELISA, 16S RNA sequencing, and LC-MS/MS analysis were used to evaluate the efficacy of Sal on obesity.

Research results

Sal effectively improved blood lipids and reshaped the balance of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in obese rats, reversing weight gain and fat accumulation caused by HFD. Correlation analysis further demonstrated that Sal exerted anti-obesity effects through lipid metabolites of intestinal flora, which laid a good foundation for the subsequent study.

Research conclusions

Sal may exert an anti-obesity effect in HFD-induced obese rats by modulating the gut microbiome and lipid metabolism.

Research perspectives

This study addressed an important topic of the development of obesity, i.e., the role of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in the development of obesity, using an extract from a Chinese herb that has been found to have anti-obesity effects in various diseases.