Morin attenuates high-fat diet induced inflammation and enhances the Akkermansiaceae richness in the gut of C57BL/6J mice

Abstract

Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis. This study evaluated the therapeutic effects of morin, a natural flavonoid, in mitigating inflammation and metabolic disturbances induced by a high-fat diet in male C57BL/6 mice. Mice were fed either a control diet or high-fat diet for 16 weeks, and after obesity was induced, a subset of high-fat diet fed mice received morin via oral gavage at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight for an additional 8 weeks. Gut microbiota diversity and composition were assessed by bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing while colonic tissue was subjected to histopathological staining. Pro-inflammatory gene and cytokine expression were quantified by real-time PCR and ELISA methods. Morin treatment significantly enhanced the abundance of beneficial bacterial taxa, especially Akkermansiaceae, and reduced the prevalence of potentially harmful taxa. Histological evaluation showed that morin attenuated high-fat diet induced colonic hyperplasia and preserved colonic integrity. Moreover, morin administration reduced the expression of key pro-inflammatory genes and cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 in the colon tissue. These findings suggest that morin mitigated high-fat diet induced inflammation by modulating gut microbiota composition thereby reducing colonic inflammation, thereby highlighting its potential as a therapeutic candidate for obesity-related metabolic disorders and warranting further clinical investigation.