Polyphenol-Rich Extract of Chrysanthemum × morifolium (Ramat) Hemsl. (Hangbaiju) Prevents Obesity and Lipid Accumulation Through Restoring Intestinal Microecological Balance

Chrysanthemum × morifolium (Ramat) Hemsl. (Hangbaiju), which has been widely consumed as a herbal tea for over 3000 years, is renowned for its biosafety and diverse bioactivities. This study investigates the impact of polyphenol-rich Hangbaiju extracts (HE) on high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice. HE contains phenolic acids and flavonoids with anti-obesity properties, such as apigenin, luteolin-7-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-(6″-acetylglucoside), etc. To establish the obesity model, mice were randomly assigned into four groups (n = 8 per group) and administered with either HE or water for 42 days under high-fat or low-fat dietary conditions. Administration of low (LH) and high (HH) doses of HE both significantly suppressed body weight growth (by 16.28% and 16.24%, respectively) and adipose tissue enlargement in obese mice. HE significantly improved the serum lipid profiles, mainly manifested as decreased levels of triglycerides (28.19% in LH and 19.59% in HH) and increased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (44.34% in LH and 54.88% in HH), and further attenuated liver lipid deposition. Furthermore, HE significantly decreased the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio 0.23-fold (LH) and 0.12-fold (HH), indicating an improvement in the microecological balance of the gut. HE administration also elevated the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Allobaculum, norank_f__Muribaculaceae), while suppressing harmful pathogenic proliferation (e.g., Dubosiella, Romboutsia). In conclusion, HE ameliorates obesity and hyperlipidemia through modulating lipid metabolism and restoring the balance of intestinal microecology, thus being promising for obesity therapy.