# Anti‐Obesity Effects Exerted by Achyranthes bidentata Polysaccharides in Diet‐Induced Obese Mice

## TL;DR

A plant-based treatment from Achyranthes bidentata reduces obesity and related health issues in mice by improving gut health and metabolism.

## Contribution

Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABPs) are shown to reduce obesity and related metabolic and microbial dysfunctions in mice.

## Key findings

- ABPs reduced obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, and liver damage in high-fat diet-fed mice.
- ABPs altered gut microbiota and increased short-chain fatty acids, particularly propionic acid.
- ABPs suppressed key genes related to fat metabolism and inflammation in obese mice.

## Abstract

Obesity involves persistent inflammation, insulin resistance, and disturbances in gut microbiota.
Achyranthes bidentata
, a plant long used in Chinese medicine, contains polysaccharides with bioactive properties. This study investigates polysaccharides isolated from its water extract (ABPs) consisting of 41.83% Glucose, 40.75% Galacturonic Acid, 7.86% Arabinose, 6.11% Galactose and 3.45% Rhamnose, which were prepared. We showed that ABPs mitigated obesity, decreased insulin resistance, alleviated inflammation, and relieved hepatic damage in high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed mice. Specifically, ABPs regulated glucose levels by downregulating GLUT1 and upregulating PGC‐1α, and significantly reduced the expression of key genes related to adipogenesis and metabolism (PPARα, PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SOX4) in obese mice. Subsequent studies revealed that ABPs could alter the gut microbiota profile and increase short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in mice on an HFD. Treatment with ABPs reduced the Firmicutes: Bacteroidota ratio and declined the abundances of intestinal bacteria including Intestinimonas, Lachnospiraceae_unclassified and Oscillibacter. ABPs supplementation significantly restored the diet‐induced imbalance of SCFAs in HFD‐fed mice, notably reversing the reduction in propionic acid. This suggests that ABPs exert obvious anti‐obesity activities, by suppressing systematic inflammation, improving hepatic metabolism, while concurrently ameliorating gut microbiota dysregulation in obese mice.

Schematic illustration of the proposed mechanism by which ABPs exert anti‐obesity effect in HFD‐fed mice. In obese mice, ABPs may alleviate obesity by reducing systemic inflammation, promoting hepatic metabolic function, and ameliorating gut microbiota dysbiosis.