Contribution of gut microbiota to hepatic steatosis following F-53B exposure from the perspective of glucose and fatty acid metabolism

Altered gut microbiota is a pathogenic mechanism of 6:2 Cl-PFESA (F-53B)-induced hepatic steatosis, indicated by correlations between gut microbiota and lipid indices. However, the detailed mechanism remains unknown. In this study, adult zebrafish were exposed to 0.25, 5 and 100 μg/L F-53B for 28 days to explore how microbiota regulate hepatic lipid metabolism from the perspective of glucose and fatty acid metabolism. Results showed glucose and fatty acids were transported from blood into liver after 100 μg/L F-53B exposure, in which glucose was further transformed into acetyl-CoA and fatty acid. The accumulated fatty acids were then converted into triglycerides (TGs), inducing hepatic steatosis. Changes in the abundances of certain gut microbiota contributed to the above processes, which was verified by the fact that the levels of g_Crenobacter, g_Shewanella, and g_Vibrio restored to control levels after Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG intervention, and the levels of their related lipid indicators recovered partially towards the control levels. 0.25 and 5 μg/L F-53B had no effect on the hepatic lipid profile due to the few changed TG synthesis related indicators. Our findings provide novel insights into lipid metabolic disorders caused by F-53B exposure, highlighting the health risks linked to gut microbial dysbiosis.