Food & Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China.
Food Funct. 2021 Nov 15;12(22):11557-11567. doi: 10.1039/d1fo02906a.
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of protocatechuic acid (PCA) on plasma lipid profiles and associated mechanisms with a focus on reshaping gut microbiota. Twenty-four male hamsters were randomly divided into three groups receiving a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) and two HCD diets containing 0.5% (PL) and 1% (PH) PCA, respectively. Feeding PL and PH diets for six weeks significantly reduced plasma total cholesterol by 18% and 24%, respectively. PL and PH diets also significantly lowered plasma non-HDL cholesterol by 37% and 44%, respectively. This was accompanied by an increase in fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and fecal bile acids with up-regulation on gene of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase and down-regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase in the liver. Dietary PCA supplementation decreased hepatic lipid accumulation, whereas it increased fecal excretion of lipids. The 16S rRNA analysis found that dietary PCA significantly reduced the ratio of to and increased the relative abundance of , whereas it reduced the abundance of . It was concluded that dietary PCA favorably modulated plasma lipid profiles and prevented the accumulation of hepatic cholesterol and lipid disposition. Such effect was mediated at least partially by increasing gut production of SCFAs and fecal excretion of bile acids modulating the gut microbiome.
本研究旨在探讨原儿茶酸（PCA）对血浆脂质谱的影响及其相关机制，重点是重塑肠道微生物群。将 24 只雄性仓鼠随机分为三组，分别给予高胆固醇饮食（HCD）和两种 HCD 饮食，其中分别含有 0.5%（PL）和 1%（PH）PCA。喂养 PL 和 PH 饮食六周后，血浆总胆固醇分别降低了 18%和 24%。PL 和 PH 饮食还分别使血浆非高密度脂蛋白胆固醇降低了 37%和 44%。这伴随着粪便短链脂肪酸（SCFA）和粪便胆汁酸的增加，以及肝脏中胆固醇 7α-羟化酶基因的上调和 3-羟基-3-甲基戊二酰辅酶 A 还原酶的下调。膳食 PCA 补充剂可减少肝脏脂质积累，同时增加粪便脂质排泄。16S rRNA 分析发现，膳食 PCA 显著降低了 与 的比值，增加了 的相对丰度，而降低了 的丰度。研究结论认为，膳食 PCA 可显著改善血浆脂质谱，防止肝脏胆固醇和脂质蓄积。这种作用至少部分是通过增加肠道产生 SCFA 和粪便胆汁酸排泄来调节肠道微生物群介导的。
