Chronic blue light-emitting diode exposure harvests gut dysbiosis related to cholesterol dysregulation

Mounting evidences have illuminated that gut microbiota, circadian rhythm, and metabolic homeostasis are tightly co-evolved. Circadian disruption consequently results in metabolic disorders. The present study explored the effects of chronic LED lighting on gut microbiota focusing on associated lipid metabolism. Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to blue or white LED lighting for 44 weeks at ZT13.5-14. High irradiance of blue LED lighting specifically reduced alpha diversity at both 27 and 44 weeks. After 44 weeks, low, but not high, irradiance of blue LED lighting increased serum TCHO, but not TG. The ratio of beneficial to harmful bacteria deduced from 6 bacteria intersected between circadian regulation and cholesterol metabolism-related microbes was decreased at low, but increased at high irradiance. This ratio was negatively correlated with serum TCHO, but positively correlated with bile acid biosynthesis. Chronic blue LED lighting could harvest gut dysbiosis and specifically dysregulate cholesterol-related metabolism without any confounding factors.