Finger citron and limettin alleviated diet-induced obesity via modulating gut microbiota

This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of finger citron extract (FC) and its characteristic compound limettin (LMT) against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity via gut microbiota modulation. Both FC and LMT decreased body weight gain and improved glucose/lipid metabolism in obese mice. Fecal 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that both FC and LMT reversed HFD-induced gut dysbiosis. The essential role of gut microbiota in FC/LMT-mediated metabolic protective effects was validated through antibiotic-induced microbiota depletion and fecal microbiota transplantation. Collectively, this study provided the first data indicating that FC and LMT could alleviate diet-induced obesity by regulating gut microbiota. Our findings highlight the potential of FC and LMT as dietary supplements for obesity prevention.