Anti-obesity effect of blueberry anthocyanin nano-encapsulates in a mouse model of obesity

This study aimed to investigate the dietary intervention effects of the CS/WPI@ACN complex in a mouse model based on high-fat diet (HFD) intervention. The results demonstrate that, in HFD-fed C57BL/6 mice, supplementation with CS/WPI@ACN partially alleviates adipose tissue accumulation and attenuates HFD-induced elevations in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, lipid droplet deposition, white adipose tissue expansion, and hepatic oxidative stress. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing reveales that CS/WPI@ACN restores the HFD-induced reduction in microbial richness and diversity, significantly modulates community composition (e.g., reduces the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and enriched beneficial microbial taxa such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These alterations are associated with a partial improvement in HFD-induced gut microbial dysbiosis and suggest a potential protective effect against obesity development and related hepatic dysfunction. In addition, fecal microbiota transplantation experiments further indicate that CS/WPI@ACN may attenuate obesity-related phenotypes in the host by enriching beneficial bacterial genera and partially reversing intestinal ecological imbalance. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that CS/WPI@ACN, with confirmed anti-obesity activity, exerts protective effects through modulation of gut microbiota homeostasis and exhibits potential for application in the prevention of obesity and liver injury resulting from HFD feeding.