Journal Article

Polyphenol-rich extract of pomegranate peel alleviates tissue inflammation and hypercholesterolaemia in high-fat diet-induced obese mice: potential implication of the gut microbiota

Neyrinck, Audrey M., Delzenne, Nathalie M., Van Hée, Vincent F., Bindels, Laure B., Cani, Patrice D., De Backer, Fabienne

2013

Overview

Pomegranate extracts have been used for centuries in traditional medicine to confer health benefits in a number of inflammatory diseases, microbial infections and cancer. Peel fruit are rich in polyphenols that exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities in vitro. Recent studies strongly suggest that the gut microbiota is an environmental factor to be taken into account when assessing the risk factors related to obesity. The aim of the present study was to test the prebiotic potency of a pomegranate peel extract (PPE) rich in polyphenols in a nutritional model of obesity associated with hypercholesterolaemia and inflammatory disorders. Balb/c mice were fed either a control diet or a high-fat (HF) diet with or without PPE (6 mg/d per mouse) over a period of 4 weeks. Interestingly, PPE supplementation increased caecal content weight and caecal pool of bifidobacteria. It did not significantly modify body weight gain, glycaemia, glucose tolerance and inflammatory markers measured in the serum. However, it reduced the serum level of cholesterol (total and LDL) induced by HF feeding. Furthermore, it counteracted the HF-induced expression of inflammatory markers both in the colon and the visceral adipose tissue. Together, these findings support that pomegranate constitutes a promising food in the control of atherogenic and inflammatory disorders associated with diet-induced obesity. Knowing the poor bioavailability of pomegranate polyphenols, its bifidogenic effect observed after PPE consumption suggests the involvement of the gut microbiota in the management of host metabolism by polyphenolic compounds present in pomegranate.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Adipose tissue / animal disease models / Animals / antioxidants / Bifidobacterium / Bifidobacterium - growth & development / Bioavailability / Biological and medical sciences / blood glucose / blood serum / Body weight / body weight changes / cecum / Cecum - microbiology / Chemokines - analysis / Chemokines - blood / Cholesterol / colon / Cytokines - analysis / Cytokines - blood / Diet / Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects / Disorders of blood lipids. Hyperlipoproteinemia / Environmental factors / Feeding. Feeding behavior / Fruit - chemistry / fruit extracts / Fruits / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Glucose Intolerance / glucose tolerance / high fat diet / hypercholesterolemia / Hypercholesterolemia - drug therapy / Hypercholesterolemia - etiology / inflammation / Inflammation - drug therapy / Inflammation - etiology / Inflammatory diseases / intestinal microorganisms / Lipids - analysis / Liver - chemistry / low density lipoprotein / Male / Medical sciences / Metabolic diseases / Mice / Mice, Inbred BALB C / Molecular Nutrition / neoplasms / Obesity / Obesity - etiology / Obesity - physiopathology / Peritonitis - metabolism / Peritonitis - microbiology / Plant extracts / Plant Extracts - administration & dosage / Polyphenols / Polyphenols - administration & dosage / pomegranates / prebiotics / Punicaceae - chemistry / Risk assessment / Risk factors / Rodents / traditional medicine / Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems / Weight Gain - drug effects