Type I corn resistant starch attenuates obesity in high-fat diet-induced mice by modulating the gut microbiota, appetite and lipid metabolism genes.

The preventive effect of type I corn resistant starch (RS1) on obesity induced by a high-fat diet in mice was investigated, focusing on satiety, gut flora, and glycolipid metabolism in this study. Compared to high-fat diet group, 8-week medium-dose RS1 intervention significantly reduced the body weight of the mice by 23.7% (p < 0.05), and reduced fat and liver mass, while also inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6. Additionally, intervention with RS1 altered gut community of mice and increased beneficial bacteria including Faecalibaculum, Dubosiella, and Lactobacillaceae. Compared with high-fat diet group, medium-dose RS1 intervention increased serum satiety hormone levels including GLP-1 and PYY, and hypothalamic appetite regulator POMC and Cart genes expression, also decreased fasting blood glucose, serum glucose level, and insulin resistance. RS1 intervention can also reduce the expression of ACC, FAS, SREBP-1c, LPL, DGAT, PPAR-γ, ATGL and other lipid synthesis and decomposition related genes, thereby affecting lipid metabolism in mice. These findings indicated that RS1 may serve as a potential prebiotic to effectively ameliorate high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice, possibly through gut microbiota modulation, appetite regulation, and suppression of lipogenic pathways.