Chenodeoxycholic acid attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity and hyperglycemia via the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1 and proliferator-activated receptor γ pathway.

G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1 (TGR5) serves a key function in regulating glycometabolism. TGR5 is highly expressed in the mitochondria of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and downregulates adenosine triphosphate synthesis via the bile acid-TGR5-cyclic adenosine monophosphate-2-iodothyronine deiodinase (D2)-triiodothyronine-uncoupling protein pathway, thus regulating energy homeostasis and reducing body weight. Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), the primary bile acid, is a natural ligand of TGR5. The present study aimed to characterize the ability of CDCA to reduce high-fat diet-induced obesity and improve glucose tolerance. A mouse model of diet-induced obesity was constructed. The results demonstrated that a high-fat diet significantly increased the weight of mice after 10 weeks (P<0.05), but following the addition of CDCA and continued feeding for another 10 weeks, a decrease in weight was detected and no significant difference in final weight was observed between the high fat diet group treated with CDCA and the group fed a normal diet. Furthermore, CDCA treatment significantly increased glucose tolerance (P<0.001, P<0.01 and P<0.01 at 15, 40 and 60 min after glucose injection, respectively) and significantly decreased serum insulin levels compared with mice fed a high-fat diet alone. Staining of the liver with hematoxylin and eosin and oil red O revealed that the CDCA-treated group exhibited significantly lower fat accumulation in BAT and WAT compared with mice fed a high-fat diet alone (P<0.001). Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the expression of D2 activation system-related factors was significantly increased in BAT from mice treated with CDCA (P<0.001), confirming the role of TGR5 in modulating high-fat diet-induced obesity. In addition, CDCA inhibited adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells and inhibited ligand-stimulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) transcriptional activity. These results suggest that CDCA may prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity and hyperglycemia, and that these beneficial effects are mediated via the activation of TGR5 and inhibition of PPARγ transcriptional activity.