1600-P: Sunflower Oil HFD Feeding in Mice Leads to Gut Dysbiosis, Mild Steatohepatitis, and Impaired Glycemic Control

Introduction however, gut bacterial changes from excessive intake of these fats, without the added effect of sucrose, remain unclear. Methods: To address this objective, we compared effects of sucrose-free, sunflower high-fat diet (S-HFD) & fish (F)-HFD feeding (24 wks) on the gut microbiota, obesity, liver inflammation, and glycemic control in C57BL/6 mice. Results: The 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal microbiome showed that gut bacterial communities were differentially expressed between two dietary groups. Firmicutes were highly-abundant in S-HFD (40%) compared to F-HFD (3%) mice, while Verrucomicrobia were abundant in F-HFD (26%) compared to S-HFD (˂1%) mice. Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios in S-HFD & F-HFD were 1.32 & 2.45, respectively. MicrobiomeAnalyst & MIAOME analyses identified highly-abundant taxa in S-HFD mice, including Oscillospira, guilliermondii, Allobaculum, Yaniella, Ruminococcus, gnavus, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, Adlercreutzia, Aerococcaceae, Anaeroplasma, Mogibacteriaceae, Christensenellaceae, & RF39, having predicted associations with host genes of metabolic disorders/pathways linked to inflammation & glucose metabolism. Compared to F-HFD mice, the S-HFD mice showed slightly increased body weights (P = 0.06) but significant differences regarding fasting hyperglycemia, hepatic macrophage infiltration (F4/80 expression), macrovascular steatosis, lobular inflammation, & expression of genes associated with de novo lipogenesis (Acaca, Fasn, and Scd1) & monocyte chemotaxis (Ccl2). Conclusion: Taken together, S-HFD feeding in mice leads to gut dysbiosis and the clinical manifestations of moderate liver inflammation, steatosis and impaired glycemic control. Disclosure S.T. Sindhu: None. F. Bahman: None. M. Malik: None. H. Arefanian: None. F. Alrashed: None. R. Nizam: None. S.P. Kochumon: None. R.S. Thomas: None. S. Albeloushi: None. A. Hasan: None. M. Abu-farha: None. A. Al Madhoun: None. A.T. Thangavel: None. F. Almulla: None. R. Ahmad: None. Funding Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) (Grants #: RA 2010-003)