Lipidomic Analysis Reveals the Anti-Obesity and Hepatoprotective Effects of Flavonoid Mimetic Components in Adzuki Beans on High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Abstract

Obesity and overweight have increasingly posed a serious challenge to public health security. This study systematically evaluated the reversal and regulatory effects of a composite flavonoid component mimicking the composition of adzuki bean flavonoids on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity, related lipid metabolism disorders, and impaired liver function, based on lipid metabolomics and an HFD-induced obese mouse model. The results demonstrated that sustained HFD intake led to significant weight gain, increased adiposity index, dyslipidemia, and altered brown adipose tissue (BAT) cell status in mice, while also exerting adverse effects on hepatic lipid deposition and the lipid metabolic profile associated with liver fibrosis. Intervention with an adzuki bean flavonoid mimic (ABFM) effectively prevented further weight gain and ameliorated abnormal expression of serum lipid and liver function-related indicators. Furthermore, we found that ABFM alleviated HFD-induced liver damage and mitigated the whitening tendency of brown adipose tissue. Lipidomics analysis revealed that ABFM intake significantly improved abnormal hepatic lipid metabolic profiles, notably downregulating the expression levels of diacylglycerol (DG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), while markedly ameliorating sphingolipid metabolism disorders and ceramide (Cer) levels, which are highly associated with liver fibrosis. These findings further elucidate the mechanisms by which adzuki bean flavonoid components improve diet-induced obesity and associated liver injury, providing a theoretical basis for exploring safe and effective dietary intervention strategies based on plant flavonoids.