Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomics
BackgroundBetaine is a natural food component that plays an important role in improving body composition, but the details of its effects on adipose tissue remains to be elucidated. Here, we hypothesize that betaine can alleviate obesity-related metabolic disorders, thus gut microbiota, transcriptomi...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1604801/full |
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| author | Xian Wang Xin Shang Yan Pan Yu Fu Huilian Zhu Shuxun Yan |
| author_facet | Xian Wang Xin Shang Yan Pan Yu Fu Huilian Zhu Shuxun Yan |
| author_sort | Xian Wang |
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| description | BackgroundBetaine is a natural food component that plays an important role in improving body composition, but the details of its effects on adipose tissue remains to be elucidated. Here, we hypothesize that betaine can alleviate obesity-related metabolic disorders, thus gut microbiota, transcriptomics and lipidomics were used to investigate the obesity-alleviating effects of betaine on high-fat diet (HFD)-fed rats.MethodsIn this study, rats fed a HFD were subjected to an 8-week oral intervention with betaine. We measured changes in body weight (BW), blood lipid profiles, and gastrointestinal hormones to assess therapeutic effects. The epididymal white adipose tissue was extracted and stained to evaluate the pathological morphology of adipocytes. The structure of the rat gut microbiota and the expression profiles of lipid metabolism-related genes in adipocytes were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing and transcriptomics. Furthermore, the lipid metabolomics of adipose tissue samples was investigated using an LC-MS analysis platform.ResultsOur findings imply that betaine has been linked to the alleviation of community alterations in gut microbiota resulting from HFD, facilitating the proliferation of beneficial microbiota (e.g., Lactobacillu, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group) and the generation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Particularly, our results indicate that betaine treatment led to notable variations in the content of DHA-riched glycerophospholipids which exhibited a positive correlation with the secretion of intestinal hormone (e.g., cholecystokininand peptide YY). Additionally, betaine upregulated the expression of genes related to thermogenesis and glycerophospholipids metabolic pathways in the adipose tissues.ConclusionOur findings indicate that betaine has the potential to decrease HFD-related obesity by regulating adipose tissue metabolism and promote the synthesis of polyunsaturated phospholipid rich in DHA. The underlying mechanism of betaine action might encompass its influence on gut microbiota modulation and SCFA metabolism. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1989d30957d24536bfc90d4b069bef94 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-861X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-1989d30957d24536bfc90d4b069bef942025-08-20T03:28:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nutrition2296-861X2025-07-011210.3389/fnut.2025.16048011604801Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomicsXian Wang0Xin Shang1Yan Pan2Yu Fu3Huilian Zhu4Shuxun Yan5Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaFirst School of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, ChinaFirst School of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaBackgroundBetaine is a natural food component that plays an important role in improving body composition, but the details of its effects on adipose tissue remains to be elucidated. Here, we hypothesize that betaine can alleviate obesity-related metabolic disorders, thus gut microbiota, transcriptomics and lipidomics were used to investigate the obesity-alleviating effects of betaine on high-fat diet (HFD)-fed rats.MethodsIn this study, rats fed a HFD were subjected to an 8-week oral intervention with betaine. We measured changes in body weight (BW), blood lipid profiles, and gastrointestinal hormones to assess therapeutic effects. The epididymal white adipose tissue was extracted and stained to evaluate the pathological morphology of adipocytes. The structure of the rat gut microbiota and the expression profiles of lipid metabolism-related genes in adipocytes were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing and transcriptomics. Furthermore, the lipid metabolomics of adipose tissue samples was investigated using an LC-MS analysis platform.ResultsOur findings imply that betaine has been linked to the alleviation of community alterations in gut microbiota resulting from HFD, facilitating the proliferation of beneficial microbiota (e.g., Lactobacillu, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group) and the generation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Particularly, our results indicate that betaine treatment led to notable variations in the content of DHA-riched glycerophospholipids which exhibited a positive correlation with the secretion of intestinal hormone (e.g., cholecystokininand peptide YY). Additionally, betaine upregulated the expression of genes related to thermogenesis and glycerophospholipids metabolic pathways in the adipose tissues.ConclusionOur findings indicate that betaine has the potential to decrease HFD-related obesity by regulating adipose tissue metabolism and promote the synthesis of polyunsaturated phospholipid rich in DHA. The underlying mechanism of betaine action might encompass its influence on gut microbiota modulation and SCFA metabolism.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1604801/fullbetaineobesitygut microbiotalipidomicstranscriptomics |
| spellingShingle | Xian Wang Xin Shang Yan Pan Yu Fu Huilian Zhu Shuxun Yan Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomics Frontiers in Nutrition betaine obesity gut microbiota lipidomics transcriptomics |
| title | Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomics |
| title_full | Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomics |
| title_fullStr | Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomics |
| title_short | Betaine alleviates obesity-related metabolic disorders in rats: insights from microbiomes, lipidomics, and transcriptomics |
| title_sort | betaine alleviates obesity related metabolic disorders in rats insights from microbiomes lipidomics and transcriptomics |
| topic | betaine obesity gut microbiota lipidomics transcriptomics |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1604801/full |
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