Hyperuricemia (HC) is one of the important risk factors for gout, arteriosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Animal studies have shown that Lactobacillus plantarum can improve microbiota and immune regulation, as well as inhibit uric acid production. However, it is not clear whether L. plantarum can improve HC and intestinal microbiota. We used potassium oxonate (PO) to induce HC in male SD rats and then treated them with L. plantarum TCI227 in a dose-dependent manner (HC + LD, HC + MD, HC + HD) for 4 weeks. We examined organ weight, conducted biochemical examinations of blood and urine, and analyzed the intestinal microbiota in feces through a 16s rDNA sequence analysis. In this study, TCI227 improved body weight, decreased creatinine and serum uric acid, and increased urine uric acid compared to the HC group. Furthermore, TCI227 increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In the fecal microbiota (family), TCI227 increased the level of Lactobacillaceae and then decreased the levels of Deferribacteres and Prevotellaceae compared to the HC group. Finally, in the fecal microbiota (genus), TCI227 decreased the level of Prevotella and then increased the levels of Lactobacillus and Ruminococcus compared to the HC group. This study suggested that TCI227 can improve HC and can change the composition of intestinal microbiota in PO-induced male HC SD rats.

Polyphenols have been widely recognized for their potential anti-obesity effects. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a polyphenol compound-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, quercetin, and rutin (EQR) on obesity-related parameters and gut microbiota composition. After four weeks of high-fat diet (HFD) induction, the obese Wistar male rats received EQR treatment for an additional four weeks. EQR supplementation significantly reduced body weight gain, feed efficiency, adipose tissue accumulation, and liver lipid content in obese rats. Additionally, it enhanced fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels and modulated gut microbiota composition. Specifically, EQR treatment significantly induced Fusobacteria, Fusobacteriaceae, Christensenellaceae, Christensenellaceae R-7 group, Lachnoclostridium, Enterorhabdus, and Parvibacter levels and reduced Deferribacteres and Mucispirillum levels. Gene expression analysis in liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and brown adipose tissue (BAT) revealed that EQR upregulated the expression of liver PPAR-α, WAT SIRT-1, and BAT PGC-1α, while downregulating liver PPAR-γ, liver FATP-1, and WAT FAS, indicating its role in promoting fatty acid oxidation and thermogenesis, as well as suppressing lipid synthesis and transport. In conclusion, EQR demonstrated significant anti-obesity effects by modulating gut microbiota and lipid metabolism, suggesting its potential as a functional ingredient for obesity management.

Hyperuricemia (HC) was one of the important risk factors for gout, arteriosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Animal studies have shown that Lactobacillus plantarum can improve the microbiota, immune regulation, and inhibit the uric acid production. However, it was not clear whether L. plantarum can improve HC and intestinal microbiota. We used potassium oxonate (PO) to induce HC in male SD rats, and then treated L. plantarum TCI227 in a dose dependent (HC+LD, HC+MD, HC+HD) for 4 weeks, and examined weight organs, biochemical examination of blood and urine, and analyzed the intestinal microbiota in feces by 16s rDNA sequence analysis. In this study, TCI227 improved body weight, decreased creatinine, serum uric acid, and increased urine uric acid compared to the HC group. Furthermore, TCI227 increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In fecal microbiota (family), TCI227 increased the level of Lactobacillaceae, and then decreased the level of Deferribacteres and Prevotellaceae compared to the HC group. Finally, in fecal microbiota (genus), TCI227 decreased the level of Prevotella, and then increased the level of Lactobacillus and Ruminococcus compared to the HC group. This study suggested that TCI227 can improve HC and change the compositions of the intestinal microbiota in PO induced male HC SD rats.