Selenium-enriched Red Yeast Rice Improves Lipid Metabolism and Intestinal Flora in Mice Fed A High-fat Diet
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Abstract:
The effects of selenium-enriched red yeast rice on lipid metabolism and intestinal flora in mice fed a high-fat diet were investigated. Forty-eight C57BL/6J mice were divided randomly into six groups (n=8 each): a common diet group; high-fat diet group; low-, medium-, and high-dose selenium-enriched red yeast rice group; and red yeast rice group. After gavage for 8 weeks, the serum total triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) contents were determined. The liver tissue and fat status were examined using a microscope, and intestinal flora were analyzed using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Compared to the high-fat diet group, the high-dose selenium-enriched red yeast rice group showed significantly improved blood lipid levels, liver fat accumulation, and intestinal flora. Serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-C levels were significantly reduced by 26.97%, 24.43%, and 49.03%, respectively, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly increased by 95.71%. Additionally, the species richness and diversity of the intestinal flora were significantly increased, and the structure of the intestinal flora was significantly improved. The relative abundance of Firmicutes (positively correlated with blood lipid levels) was decreased by 39.26%, and those of Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia (negatively correlated with blood lipid levels) were increased by 36.09% and 36.93%, respectively. Compared with that in the red yeast rice group, the LDL-C level in the high-dose selenium-enriched red yeast rice group was significantly reduced by 42.31%. Moreover, the relative abundance of Firmicutes was reduced by 26.10%, and those of Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia were increased by 46.59% and 44.01%, respectively. This study showed that compared with red yeast rice, selenium-enriched red yeast rice markedly ameliorates lipid metabolism disorder and the intestinal flora imbalance induced by a high-fat diet in mice.
