Gut microbiome species richness differ after intake of green tea and cranberry extracts by lean and obese mice

Abstract

Green tea and cranberry are rich with phenolic compounds and they are extensively studied for their cardioprotective, anti-carcinogenic and anti-infective activities. This study analyzes their effect on gut microbiota and selected biochemical parameters in lean NMRI mice and in monosodium glutamate (MSG) – induced mouse model of obesity with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Results on the species richness show similarity of the groups that were fed by standard chow and the diet enriched with green tea extract, both in the normal (lean) mice and those with MSG-induced obesity. On the contrary, mice treated with cranberry extract tend to form a separate cluster of data points, showing a more pronounced difference between this group and control and green tea-treated groups. Again, the shift is present in both normal and obese group of mice. In other words, the analysis of species richness indicate a lowering of the number of taxonomic units after intake of cranberry extract; this effect was even more apparent in obese mice. On the contrary, the green tea extract did not cause a prominent change of the species richness of the mice gut microbiome. Supported by GACR303/12/G163.