# Coral dealbatus Crude Polysaccharide Attenuates Fat Accumulation and Intestinal Flora Disorders in Mice Fed with a High-Fat Diet

## TL;DR

A polysaccharide from Coral dealbatus reduces fat accumulation and gut microbiota imbalance in mice on a high-fat diet.

## Contribution

CDP is a novel bioactive polysaccharide with anti-obesity effects through lipid regulation and gut microbiota modulation.

## Key findings

- CDP significantly reduced body weight gain and ectopic lipid deposition in mice.
- CDP ameliorated hepatic steatosis by reducing lipid droplet accumulation.
- CDP reversed gut microbiota dysbiosis caused by a high-fat diet.

## Abstract

Obesity, a major risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases, arises from chronic energy imbalance and ectopic lipid deposition. This study investigated the anti-obesity potential of Coral dealbatus crude polysaccharides (CDP), a previously uncharacterized bioactive fraction from a hybrid vegetable cultivar developed by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. CDP, obtained via hydroalcoholic extraction, was structurally characterized as amorphous with heterogeneous molecular weights (87,813 Da, 4158 Da, and 728 Da) and glucose-dominant monosaccharide composition (FT-IR, XRD, and HPLC). In a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced murine obesity model, oral CDP administration significantly attenuated body weight gain (p < 0.05) and reduced ectopic lipid deposition. Histopathological analysis confirmed CDP’s efficacy in ameliorating hepatic steatosis, evidenced by diminished lipid droplet accumulation. Furthermore, CDP reversed HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, modulating beneficial bacterial taxa. These findings demonstrate CDP’s therapeutic potential against diet-induced metabolic disorders, likely mediated through lipid metabolism regulation and intestinal microbiota modulation, supporting its development as a novel functional food ingredient for dietary intervention.