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. 2021 Apr 24;13(5):1436.
doi: 10.3390/nu13051436.

Prebiotic Effect of Berberine and Curcumin Is Associated with the Improvement of Obesity in Mice

Audrey M Neyrinck  1 , Cándido Robles Sánchez  1 , Julie Rodriguez  1 , Patrice D Cani  1   2 , Laure B Bindels  1 , Nathalie M Delzenne  1
Affiliations

Prebiotic Effect of Berberine and Curcumin Is Associated with the Improvement of Obesity in Mice

Audrey M Neyrinck et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Berberine and curcumin, used as food additives or food supplements, possess interesting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. We tested the potential protective effect of both phytochemicals in genetically obese mice and we determined whether these effects can be related to the modulation of gut functions and microbiota. Ob/ob mice were fed a standard diet supplemented with or without 0.1% berberine and/or 0.3% curcumin for 4 weeks. By using targeted qPCR, we found that cecal content of Bifidobacterium spp. and Akkermansia spp. increased mainly upon berberine supplementation. Genes involved in innate immunity (Pla2g2a), mucus production (Muc2) and satietogenic peptide production (Gcg and Pyy) were upregulated in the colon of mice treated with both phytochemicals. Berberine supplementation alone reduced food intake, body weight gain, hypertriglyceridemia and hepatic inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, thus lessening hepatic injury. The increase in Bifidobacterium spp. and Akkermansia spp. was correlated with the improvement of gut barrier function and with the improvement of hepatic inflammatory and oxidative stresses in obese mice. These data support the fact that non-carbohydrate phytochemicals may modulate the gut microbiota in obesity and related gut and hepatic alterations.

Keywords: berberine; curcumin; gut barrier; inflammation; liver injury; obesity; prebiotic.

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Conflict of interest statement

PDC is an inventor of patent applications dealing with the use of Akkermansia muciniphila and its components in the context of obesity and related disorders. PDC is co-founder of A-Mansia Biotech SA. The other authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analysis or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bacteria in the cecal content. Ob/ob mice were fed a standard diet supplemented with or without berberine or curcumin for 4 weeks (n = 9 for each group). qPCR analysis of total bacteria (a), Lactobacillus spp. (b), Bacteroides spp. (c), Akkermansia spp. (d) and Bifidobacterium spp. (e) in the caecal content. * p < 0.05 for berberine or curcumin effect (two-way ANOVA). Data with different superscript letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 (Tukey post-hoc test).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Colonic mRNA level coding for host peptides in the colon. Gcg coding for glucagon-like peptides (GLP-1, GLP-2) (a), Pyy coding for peptide YY (b), Muc2 coding for mucin 2 (c) and Pla2g2a coding for phospholipase A2 group II (d). Ob/ob mice were fed a standard diet supplemented with or without berberine or curcumin for 4 weeks (n = 9 for each group). * p < 0.05 for berberine or curcumin effect (two-way ANOVA). Data with different superscript letters are significantly different at p < 0.05 (Tukey post-hoc test).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Lipid profile and glucose homeostasis of ob/ob mice fed a standard diet supplemented with or without berberine or curcumin for 4 weeks (n = 9 for each group). Plasma glucose (a), plasma insulin (b), plasma triglycerides (c), plasma cholesterol (d) * p < 0.05 for berberine effect (two-way ANOVA).
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