Obesity, a major risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases, arises from chronic energy imbalance and ectopic lipid deposition. This study investigated the anti-obesity potential of Coral dealbatus crude polysaccharides (CDP), a previously uncharacterized bioactive fraction from a hybrid vegetable cultivar developed by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. CDP, obtained via hydroalcoholic extraction, was structurally characterized as amorphous with heterogeneous molecular weights (87,813 Da, 4158 Da, and 728 Da) and glucose-dominant monosaccharide composition (FT-IR, XRD, and HPLC). In a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced murine obesity model, oral CDP administration significantly attenuated body weight gain (p < 0.05) and reduced ectopic lipid deposition. Histopathological analysis confirmed CDP's efficacy in ameliorating hepatic steatosis, evidenced by diminished lipid droplet accumulation. Furthermore, CDP reversed HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, modulating beneficial bacterial taxa. These findings demonstrate CDP's therapeutic potential against diet-induced metabolic disorders, likely mediated through lipid metabolism regulation and intestinal microbiota modulation, supporting its development as a novel functional food ingredient for dietary intervention.
Keywords: Coral dealbatus; crude polysaccharide; fat accumulation.