LAUSR

BACKGROUND Caulerpa lentillifera has received extensive attention for the expansion of farming and the increasing consumption. In our previous study, the structure of Caulerpa lentillifera polysaccharide (CLP) was elucidated. However, little information is available about its healthy effect. In the present study, the anti-obesity effect of CLP was investigated by using a high-fat diet-induced obese mice model with two different supplementation methods. RESULTS In vitro simulated digestion results showed that CLP significantly decreased the lipid digestibility and induced the lipid droplets aggregation in the intestinal stage to inhibit the absorption of lipids. As revealed by 16S rRNA sequencing and non-targeted metabolomics, supplement of CLP by both pre-prandial gavage and free feeding patterns effectively prevented mice obesity via ameliorating intestinal flora disturbance and regulating bile acids circulation metabolism. Of note, CLP administration had no effect on SCFAs production, suggesting its anti-obesity effect was uncorrelated with the production of SCFAs. Moreover, pre-prandial administration of CLP had a better anti-obesity effect in lowering body weight and serum lipid levels, but the free feeding resulted in a higher α-diversity of gut microbiota. CONCLUSION The findings in the present study indicate that CLP could be a potential anti-obesity nutraceutical and the pre-prandial supplement of CLP may be a better intake way to exhibit its hypolipidemic effect. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.