Huai Chrysanthemum polysaccharides alleviate high-fat diet-induced obesity accompanied by gut microbiota remodeling and altered short-chain fatty acids metabolism

Obesity and its associated metabolic diseases have become a global public health issue. However, the long-term application of existing therapeutic drugs for obesity is limited due to their side effects. Huai Chrysanthemum is a medicinal and edible chrysanthemum cultivar from Jiaozuo, China, and is known to contain bioactive polysaccharides. In this study, we used water extraction and ethanol precipitation to prepare Huai Chrysanthemum polysaccharides (CPs). C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal group, a high-fat diet model group, and a CPs intervention group (treated with 200 or 400 mg/kg of CPs by oral gavage for 12 weeks). We analyzed metabolic indicators, inflammatory factors, the gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids. Analysis revealed that CPs intervention for 12 weeks significantly inhibited weight gain, reduced fat accumulation, improved insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, alleviated hepatic steatosis, and reduced systemic inflammation levels. Phenotypic observations revealed that CPs intervention was accompanied by restoration of intestinal barrier injury, modulation of gut microbiota structure (decreased Bacillota/Bacteroidot a (B/B) ratio, reduced abundance of pro-inflammatory genera), and elevated production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in obese mice. Collectively, these data indicate that CPs exert significant anti-obesity activities and can improve metabolic disorders, and the concurrent improvements in intestinal barrier integrity, microbial composition, and SCFAs metabolism may be closely associated with the metabolic benefits of CPs. Our findings provide scientific evidence for the use of CPs as a functional food ingredient to prevent diet-induced obesity.