Daesiho-Tang Is an Effective Herbal Formulation in Attenuation of Obesity in Mice through Alteration of Gene Expression and Modulation of Intestinal Microbiota

Abstract

BackgroundObesity has become a major global health challenge due to its increasing prevalence, and the associated health risk. It is the main cause of various metabolic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and certain forms of cancer.Methods and ResultsIn the present study we evaluated the anti-obesity property of Daesiho-tang (DSHT), an herbal medicine, using high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice as a model. Our results showed that DSHT ameliorated body weight gain, decreased total body fat, regulated expression of leptin and adiponectin genes of adipose tissue and exerted an anti-diabetic effect by attenuating fasting glucose level and serum insulin level in HFD-fed animals. In addition, DSHT-treatment significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and increased high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) levels in serum and reduced deposition of fat droplets in liver. DSHT treatment resulted in significantly increased relative abundance of bacteria including Bacteroidetes, Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio, Akkermansia Bifidobacterium., Lactobacillus, and decreased the level of Firmicutes. Using RT2 profiler PCR array, 39 (46%) genes were found to be differentially expressed in HFD-fed mice compared to normal control. However, normal gene expressions were restored in 36 (92%) genes of HFD-fed mice, when co-exposed to DSHT.Conclusion/Major FindingsThe results of this study demonstrated that DSHT is an effective herbal formulation in attenuation of obesity in HFD-fed mice through alteration of gene expressions and modulation of intestinal microbiota.

Effect of Daesiho-tang on obesity with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial

“…Many studies have searched for effective herbal medicines for treating obesity and NAFLD [37,38]. Among the many candidates, DST has shown potential to treat obesity and NAFLD in many preclinical studies [11][12][13][14].…”

“…Many animal studies have confirmed the anti-obesity, anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive effects of DST [11][12][13][14]. Hussain et al reported that DST ameliorates body weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet by regulating leptin and adiponectin gene expression in adipose tissue [11]. Authors of in vivo and in vitro studies have reported that DST improves lipid metabolism by lowering hepatic triglyceride biosynthesis and by increasing low-density lipoprotein receptor gene expression in hepatocytes [15,16].…”

“…DST consists of eight medical herbs, and the main active components are paeoniflorin, naringin, baicalin, baicalein, sennoside A, rhein, saikosaponin A and emodon [10]. Many animal studies have confirmed the anti-obesity, anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive effects of DST [11][12][13][14]. Hussain et al reported that DST ameliorates body weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet by regulating leptin and adiponectin gene expression in adipose tissue [11].…”

Gut Microbiota and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Insights on Mechanism and Therapy

“…Recently, the anti-obesity property of daesiho-tang (DSHT) was also investigated. It was found that DSHT treatment significantly reduced serum TC and TG and hepatic fat accumulation which were associated with the regulation on abundance of gut microbiota [165]. Although the mechanisms underlying TCM are extremely complicated and largely unknown, gut microbiota was important target for many TCM formulas because many kinds of chemicals within TCM are unabsorbable that can influence gut microbiota directly or be metabolized into active form by gut microbiota.…”

Lactate-Fortified Puerariae Radix Fermented by Bifidobacterium breve Improved Diet-Induced Metabolic Dysregulation via Alteration of Gut Microbial Communities

“…The probable mechanisms by which the gut microbiota could cause the onset and development of obesity and the related metabolic diseases include: (a) high abundance of carbohydrate-fermenting bacteria which leads to an increased production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), providing an extra source of energy for the host in the form of stored lipids or glucose; (b) augmented intestinal permeability to bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), resulting in elevated systemic LPS levels that trigger low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance; and (c) enhanced activity of the gut endocannabinoid system [23]. A number of our previous studies have shown that the protective effects of several herbal formulations against inflammatory insult and metabolic disorders are mediated via modulation of the gut microbial population [17,[24][25][26][27][28][29].…”