Antimicrobial Emulsifier-Glycerol Monolaurate Induces Metabolic Syndrome, Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis, and Systemic Low-Grade Inflammation in Low-Fat Diet Fed Mice.

Glycerol monolaurate (GML) is widely consumed worldwide in the food industry and is considered safe, but for chronic diseases, supporting scientific data remain sparse. This study investigates whether dietary GML induces metabolic syndrome, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and systemic low-grade inflammation. GML-induced occurrence of metabolic syndrome, gut microbiota alterations, and systemic low-grade inflammation are investigated. The results demonstrate that GML induced metabolic syndrome by significantly increasing the body weight, weight gain, food intake, body fat, fat droplet size and percentage of epididymal fat, serum triglycerides (TG), LDL, and atherogenic index, and decreasing the body muscle ratio, liver weight, and HDL, compared to the control (CON) group. Meanwhile, GML significantly changed the β-diversity and composition of gut microbiota and upregulated the circulating levels of serum LPS, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Importantly, GML significantly decreased Akkermansia muciniphila and Lupinus luteus, and increased Bacteroides acidifaciens, Escherichia coli and the microbial DNA abundance of the ten predicated metabolism pathways involved in carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism. Our results indicate that relatively low-dose GML consumption promotes metabolic syndrome, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and systemic low-grade inflammation, thereby calling for a reassessment of GML usage.

Jiang Z ，Zhao M ，Zhang H ，Li Y ，Liu M ，Feng F ... -  《-》

Glycerol-Monolaurate-Mediated Attenuation of Metabolic Syndrome is Associated with the Modulation of Gut Microbiota in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Mice.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome. Glycerol monolaurate (GML), a widely consumed food emulsifier, is reported to promote metabolic disorder and gut microbiota dysbiosis in low-dose supplementation upon low-fat-diet feeding. However, little is known about whether GML produce the same effects in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). C57BL/6 mice are fed a HFD with or without GML supplementation (150, 300, and 450 mg kg-1 ) for 10 weeks. The results demonstrated that higher GML treatment (450 mg kg-1 ) ameliorates HFD-induced metabolic disorders, supported by prevented visceral fat deposition, improved hyperlipidemia, modulated hepatic lipid metabolism, and reduced serum proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-α. Additionally, all doses of GML attenuated circulating lipopolysaccharide load and insulin resistance. Notably, GML ameliorates HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, with increases in Bacteroides uniformis, Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus and decreases in Escherichia coli, Lactococcus, and Flexispira. Spearman's correlation analysis indicates that these enriched specific genera are significantly associated with the metabolic improvements of GML. The findings identify the links between gut microbiota and GML-induced metabolic improvements, suggesting that the attenuation of HFD-induced metabolic disorders by higher GML supplementation may occur through targeting gut microbiota.

Zhao M ，Cai H ，Jiang Z ，Li Y ，Zhong H ，Zhang H ，Feng F ... -  《-》

Modulation of the Gut Microbiota during High-Dose Glycerol Monolaurate-Mediated Amelioration of Obesity in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Obesity and associated metabolic disorders are worldwide public health issues. The gut microbiota plays a key role in the pathophysiology of diet-induced obesity. Glycerol monolaurate (GML) is a widely consumed food emulsifier with antibacterial properties. Here, we explore the anti-obesity effect of GML (1,600 mg/kg of body weight) in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. HFD-fed mice were treated with 1,600 mg/kg GML. Integrated microbiome, metabolome, and transcriptome analyses were used to systematically investigate the metabolic effects of GML, and antibiotic treatment was used to assess the effects of GML on the gut microbiota. Our data indicated that GML significantly reduced body weight and visceral fat deposition, improved hyperlipidemia and hepatic lipid metabolism, and ameliorated glucose homeostasis and inflammation in HFD-fed mice. Importantly, GML modulated HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and selectively increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum Antibiotic treatment abolished all the GML-mediated metabolic improvements. A multiomics (microbiome, metabolome, and transcriptome) association study showed that GML significantly modulated glycerophospholipid metabolism, and the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum strongly correlated with the metabolites and genes that participated in glycerophospholipid metabolism. Our results indicated that GML may be provided for obesity prevention by targeting the gut microbiota and regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism.

Zhao M ，Jiang Z ，Cai H ，Li Y ，Mo Q ，Deng L ，Zhong H ，Liu T ，Zhang H ，Kang JX ，Feng F ... -  《mBio》

High-dose Glycerol Monolaurate Up-Regulated Beneficial Indigenous Microbiota without Inducing Metabolic Dysfunction and Systemic Inflammation: New Insights into Its Antimicrobial Potential.

Mo Q ，Fu A ，Deng L ，Zhao M ，Li Y ，Zhang H ，Feng F ... -  《Nutrients》

Glycerol monolaurate improves performance, intestinal development, and muscle amino acids in yellow-feathered broilers via manipulating gut microbiota.

Liu T ，Tang J ，Feng F 《-》