Moringa-Fu brick tea extract attenuated high-fat diet-induced obesity via modulating bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota in rats

Obesity is regarded to be correlated with disorders of lipid metabolism, bile acid metabolism and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Moringa-Fu brick tea (MFBT), a functional food, has a significant anti-obesity effect. However, the effectiveness and mechanisms of MFBT in preventing obesity require further investigation. Here, our results show that moringa-Fu brick tea extract (MFTE) displays anti-obesity effects by reducing high-fat diet-induced weight gain and adipose tissue accumulation in rats, and attenuating visceral adiposity index, oxidative stress and inflammation. In addition, MFTE could regulate gut microbiota diversity, reduce the relative abundance of microbioa associated with bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, such as Blautia, Ruminococcaceae, Coprococcus and Roseburia. Moreover, MFTE could improve the expression of the main rate-limiting enzymes CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 in the process of bile acid synthesis, downregulate the expression of intestinal FXR protein, promote the serum bile acid level, and reduce the accumulation of cholesterol in serum and liver. Taken together, these results suggested that MFBT could serve as a functional food for prevention of obesity and hyperlipidemia in association with regulating bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota.