Multiomics analysis investigating the impact of a high-fat diet in female Sprague–Dawley rats: alterations in plasma, intestinal metabolism, and microbial composition

Introduction With improvements in living conditions, modern individuals exhibit a pronounced inclination towards a high-fat diet, largely because of its distinctive gustatory appeal. However, the association between high-fat diets and metabolic complications has largely been ignored, and metabolic diseases such as obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease now constitute a major public health concern. Because high-fat diets increase the risk of metabolic diseases, a thorough investigation into the impact of high-fat diets on gut microbiota and metabolism is required. Methods We utilize 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics analysis to demonstrate that SD rats fed a high-fat diet exhibited marked alterations in gut microbiota and plasma, intestinal metabolism. Results Changes in gut microbiota included a decreased abundance at phylum level for Verrucomicrobiota, and a decreased abundance at genus level for Akkermansia, Ralstonia, Bacteroides , and Faecalibacterium . Additionally, significant changes were observed in both intestinal and plasma metabolite levels, including an upregulation of bile acid metabolism, an upregulation of glucose-lipid metabolism, and increased levels of metabolites such as norlithocholic acid, cholic acid, D-fructose, D-mannose, fructose lactate, and glycerophosphocholine. We also investigated the correlations between microbial communities and metabolites, revealing a significant negative correlation between Akkermansia bacteria and cholic acid. Discussion Overall, our findings shed light on the relationship between symbiotic bacteria associated with high-fat diets and metabolic biomarkers, and they provide insights for identifying novel therapeutic approaches to mitigate disease risks associated with a high-fat diet.