Sea Buckthorn Pericarp Flavonoids Improve Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia via Coordinated Modulation of Hepatic Lipid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota

TL;DR

Sea buckthorn pericarp flavonoids reduce high cholesterol and improve liver and gut health in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Contribution

TFSP improves hyperlipidemia by modulating both liver lipid metabolism and gut microbiota.

Findings

TFSP reduced body weight and improved serum lipid profiles in mice.

TFSP enhanced antioxidant activity and reduced liver lipid accumulation.

TFSP altered gut microbiota, increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing harmful ones.

Abstract

Sea buckthorn pericarp pomace, a major by-product of juice processing, represents a promising food-grade source of bioactive flavonoids. This study investigated the hypolipidemic effects and underlying mechanisms of total flavonoids extracted from Sea buckthorn pericarp pomace (TFSP) in mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemia. TFSP intervention significantly suppressed body weight gain and improved serum lipid profiles by reducing total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Hepatic lipid accumulation and injury were alleviated, accompanied by enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GSH-Px) and reduced oxidative stress markers. At the molecular level, TFSP downregulated key lipogenic proteins—including ACC and FAS—and upregulated markers of fatty acid oxidation and triglyceride hydrolysis—namely CPT-1α, PPARα, and ATGL. Moreover, TFSP restored HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, increased the relative abundance of beneficial genera such as Akkermansia, and decreased that of potentially harmful taxa including Allobaculum. These findings demonstrate that TFSP—a value-added food processing by-product—ameliorates hyperlipidemia through coordinated regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism and gut microbial composition, supporting its potential application as a natural, food-derived ingredient in lipid-lowering functional foods.

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