Dietary sugar kelp consumption inhibits adipose tissue inflammation and fibrosis in male mouse model of diet-induced obesity

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that consumption of U.S.-grown sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) prohibits inflammation and fibrosis in the liver and white adipose tissue in male diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice. This study investigated whether sugar kelp can elicit similar benefits in female DIO mice. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were fed a low-fat (LF) control, a high-fat/high-sucrose/high-cholesterol (HF) control, or HF containing 6% sugar kelp (HF-Kelp) for 16 weeks. Body weight gain, serum triglyceride and total lipids, and glucose intolerance were decreased in male HF-Kelp compared with HF control. Furthermore, sugar kelp decreased gonadal white adipose tissue (gWAT) weight with smaller adipocytes and total body fat in males. In gWAT, male HF-Kelp exhibited less inflammation and fibrosis than the HF control, confirmed by histological analysis. Moreover, HF-Kelp increased physical activity only in males. Gut microbiome analysis showed sugar kelp elevated observed species and altered beta diversity in both males and females, suggesting changes in the gut microbiome may contribute to the effects of sugar kelp on gWAT inflammation and fibrosis. Therefore, our results demonstrate that sugar kelp consumption prevents obesity-induced inflammation and fibrosis in WAT in male mice, which is attributed, at least in part, to modest increases in metabolic rates, energy expenditure, and physical activity, and also modulating the gut microbiota.

Keywords

• Sugar kelp
• Adipose tissue
• Inflammation
• Fibrosis