Myricetin alleviates high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis in ApoE−/− mice by regulating bile acid metabolism involved in gut microbiota remodeling†

Atherosclerosis poses a significant threat to global health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of myricetin (MYR) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced atherosclerosis in ApoE^−/− mice. Our findings demonstrated that MYR treatment significantly reduced the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, particularly at a high dose of 100 mg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹. Additionally, MYR markedly attenuated lipid metabolism disorders in ApoE^−/− mice by decreasing body weight, improving serum lipid profiles, and reducing lipid deposition. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that MYR treatment enhanced the abundance of probiotic g_Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136, while it reduced that of obesity-associated genera, including Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and Alistipes. Metabolomic analysis and RT-qPCR tests indicated that MYR upregulated hepatic bile acid biosynthesis, evidenced by increased total bile acid levels and enhanced expression of key enzymes CYP7A1 and CYP8B1, particularly through the classical biosynthetic pathway. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed strong associations between the regulated bile acids and these aforementioned bacteria. Therefore, our results demonstrated that MYR exerts an anti-atherosclerotic effect by modulating the gut-liver axis.