Eugenol, A Major Component of Clove Oil, Attenuates Adiposity, and Modulates Gut Microbiota in High‐Fat Diet‐Fed Mice

Abstract

Scope Eugenol (EU), the major aromatic compound derived from clove oil, is being focused recently due to its potential in preventing several chronic conditions. Herein, this study aims to evaluate the potential of EU in obesity prevention and to delineate the mechanisms involved. Methods and results Five‐week‐old male C57BL/6J mice are fed with high‐fat diet (HFD) or HFD supplemented with EU (0.2%, w/w) for 13 weeks. EU significantly reduces obesity‐related indexes including final body weight, body weight gain, adipocyte size, visceral fat‐pad weight, and fasting blood glucose. EU prevents HFD‐induced gut dysbiosis, as indicated by the increase of Firmicutes and decrease of Desulfobacterota at phylum level, and the increase of Dubosiella, Blautia, unclassified_f_Oscillospiraceae, and unclassified_f_Ruminococcaceae, and the decrease of Alistipes, Alloprevotella, and Bilophila at genus level. Notably, the obesity‐related indexes are positively correlated with the relative abundances of Bacteroides, unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, Colidextribacter, and Bilophila, and negatively correlated with the relative abundances of norank_f_Muribaculaceae and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group. Moreover, the preventive effects of EU on obesity are accompanied by the transcriptomic reprogramming of white adipose tissue. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that EU prevents the HFD‐induced adiposity and modulates gut dysbiosis, and highlight the potential of EU in obesity intervention as a functional dietary supplement.

Dietary Supplementation of Methyl Cedryl Ether Ameliorates Adiposity in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

“…The data for chow and HFD group mice have been reproduced from ref. [ 11 ]. * p < 0.05 versus chow group, ** p < 0.01 versus chow group, *** p < 0.001 versus chow group, **** p < 0.0001 versus chow group; # p < 0.05 versus HFD group, ## p < 0.01 versus HFD group, ### p < 0.001 versus HFD group.…”

“…Targeting gut microbiota is a viable preventative or therapeutic approach for obesity due to the link between gut bacteria and obesity [ 7 , 25 ]. Curcumin, betaine, garcinol, eugenol, and other dietary components appear to alleviate obesity by modifying the gut flora [ 11 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. In the current study, 13 weeks of MCE treatment prevents HFD-induced obesity in mice while also modulating the structure, composition, and metabolic profiles of gut microbiota ( Figure 4 and Figure 5 ).…”

“…As previously described, histological examinations of epididymal WAT and liver were conducted by hematoxylin-eosin (H & E) staining, and the image was analyzed using Image J software (version 1.53) [ 11 ].…”

“…It is shown that gut dysbiosis occurs in obese individuals, manifesting as the remarkable differences of gut microbiota between obese patients and healthy individuals [ 8 ]. Various phytochemicals or natural products are demonstrated to be critical obesity regulators by modulating gut microbiota [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. As a result, targeting gut microbiota has become a promising option for obesity treatment.…”

Antidepressive Effect of Natural Products and Their Derivatives Targeting BDNF-TrkB in Gut–Brain Axis

“…They reduce stress by regulating hormones and neurotransmitters in CRS mice as well as BDNF expression and apoptosis in the brain [ 122 ]. Recent studies have shown that mice fed a high-fat diet with eugenol exhibit reduced adiposity and modified gut microbiota [ 123 ].…”