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. 2021 Sep 23;8:727951. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.727951

Table 1.

Summary of the effects of plant extracts on gut microbiota, obesity and its related metabolic disorder.

Plant extracts Experimental model and subjects Plant extract treatment Microbiota effects Association Response References
FML HFD-induced obese mice FML (240 mg/kg/day) via oral gavage for 6 weeks Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio ↓; Clostridiales Acetic acid production ↑ Lipid accumulation, liver steatosis and the whitening of BAT ↓ (28)
Mulberry leaves HFD-induced obese mice Mulberry leaves (20%) for 13 weeks Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and Proteobacteria ↓; Akkermansia SCFAs production ↑ Body weight gain, fat accumulation and fasting blood glucose ↓; insulin sensitivity ↑ (33)
CM HFD-induced obese mice CM (0.4 g crude drug/kg) for 6 weeks Bacteroides and Akkermansia ↑; Mucispirillum Microbiota-blood metabolites-liver axis Adiposis and insulin resistance ↓; glucose uptake ↑ (70)
Paeonol Alcohol-induced ALD mice Paeonol (480 mg/kg) for 11 days Candida albicans mycobiota-mediated dectin-1/IL-1β signaling pathway ↓ ALD inflammatory response and liver fat lesions ↓ (71)
Green tea infusions HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice Green tea infusions as drinking water for 13 weeks Alistipes, Rikenella, Lachnospiraceae, Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Allobaculum and Parabacteroides SCFAs, gastrointestinal immunity and gut barrier function ↑ Body weight gain, adipose tissue accumulation, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercholesterolemia ↓ (82)
GTE HFD-induced obese Swiss albino mice GTE (200 mg/kg) combined with isomalto-oligosaccharide (1 g/kg) for 12 weeks Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, Akkermansia and Roseburia spp. ↑ Metabolic endotoxemia ↓ Adiposis, lipid accumulation in liver and fasting blood glucose ↓ (83)
GTE HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice GTE (2%) for 8 weeks Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio ↓; Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus Gut barrier function ↑; endotoxin translocation ↓ Adiposis and its related inflammatory response ↓ (84)
Green tea water extracts HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice Green tea water extracts (1%) for 28 weeks Family Rikenellaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae SCFAs production ↑; endotoxin LPS production ↓ Glucose tolerance ↑; body weight gain, hepatic lipids, and WAT weights ↓ (85)
Green tea polyphenols HFD-induced obese C57BL/6 mice Green tea polyphenols (200 mg/kg) for 12 weeks Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroides, Alistipes, and Faecalibaculum the maintaining of intestinal redox state ↑ Lipid metabolism ↑; hyperlipidemia and inflammation ↓ (86)
RES HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice RES by gavage (300 mg/kg/day) for 16 weeks Desulfovibrio, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A316_group and Alistipes ↓; Allobaculum, Bacteroides and Blautia Gut intestinal barrier integrity and intestinal redox state ↑ Body weight, liver steatosis and NAFLD ↓; lipid metabolism and insulin resistance ↑ (93, 100, 103)
RES HFD-induced obese mice RES (200 mg/kg/day) for 12 weeks Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium ↑; Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and Enterococcus faecalis Fiaf signaling pathway ↑ Body and visceral weights, blood glucose, and lipid levels ↓ (104)
RES HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice RES (0.4%) for 4 weeks Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium↑; Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and Proteobacteria Sirtuin-1 signaling pathway ↑ Fat accumulation ↓; WAT browning ↑ (105)
RES HFHS-induced obese C57Bl/6N mice RES (0.4%) for 8 weeks Turicibacteraceae, Moryella, Lachnospiraceae, and Akkermansia ↓; Bacteroides and Parabacteroides Inflammatory state ↓ Glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity ↑ (108)
GSPE HFD-induced obese C57BL/6 mice GSPE by gavage (300 mg/kg/day) for 7 weeks Clostridium XIVa, Roseburia, and Prevotella Inflammatory response ↓ Insulin sensitivity ↑; visceral fat accumulation and adiposity ↓ (110)
GSPE Weaned pigs at day 28 GSPE (250 mg/kg) for 28 days Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio↓; Akkermansia, Alistipes and Bacteroides Propionate production ↑ Adipose accumulation and inflammation ↓; lipid metabolism ↑ (117)
HON HFD-induced obese C57BL/6 mice HON (200, 400, 800 mg/kg) for 8 weeks Akkermansia and Bacteroides ↑; Oscillospira SCFAs production ↑; endotoxin LPS production ↓ Body weight, adipose tissue weight, insulin resistance and blood lipid ↓ (130)
CAP HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice CAP (2 mg/kg) for 12 weeks Bacteroides, Coprococcus, Prevotella and Akkermansia ↑; Proteobacteria spp. ↓ SCFAs production ↑; inflammatory response ↓ Body weight gain and food intake ↓; lipid profile ↑ (144)
CAP HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice CAP (0.01%) for 12 weeks Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae (including Roseburia spp.) ↑; family S24_7 Butyrate production ↑; endotoxin LPS production ↓ Chronic low-grade inflammation, body weight gain and adiposity ↓ (151)
CAP HFD-induced obese C57BL/6 mice CAP (0.01%) for 9 weeks Proteobacteria ↓; Akkermansia muciniphila Intestinal mucin degradation ↑ Body weight ↓; glucose tolerance and glucose homeostasis ↑ (152)
KGM HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice KGM (4%) combined with bacterial cellulose (4%) for 16 weeks Firmicutes and Mucispirillum ↓; Bacteroidetes and Akkermansia SCFAs production and intestinal integrity ↑ Glucose homeostasis, fatty acid profiles and lipid metabolism ↑; body weight ↓ (161)
Konjaku flour HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice Konjaku flour (300 mg/day) for 12 weeks Megasphaera elsdenii and Aerococcaceae ↑; Alistipes, Alloprevotella and Bacteroides acidifaciens Gut Intestinal barrier function ↑ Body weight gain, fat mass and inflammatory state ↓ (166)
KGM streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats KGM (160 mg/kg) for 4 weeks Clostridium spp., Bacteroides spp., Prevotella spp., Klebsiella spp., Streptococcus spp., and S. aureus Bacterial-associated BCAAs ↓; BCAA metabolism ↑ Type 2 diabetes ↓; lipid and glucose metabolism ↑ (169)
Chlorophyll HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice Chlorophyll-rich spinach extract (0.18 mg/10 g /day) for 13 weeks Blautia, norank_f_Bacteroidales_S24-7_group and Akkermansia ↑; Lactobacillus and Lactococcus SCFAs production ↑; endotoxin LPS production ↓ Body weight gain and low-grade inflammation ↓; glucose tolerance ↑ (174, 175)
Chlorophyllin Carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis BALB/c mice Chlorophyllin (5 mg/kg) for 6 weeks Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio ↓ Plasma endotoxin concentration ↓ Hepatic inflammation and liver fibrosis ↓ (179)

FML, flavonoids from mulberry leaves; HFD, high fat diets; BAT, brown adipose tissue; SCFAs, short chain fatty acids; CM, cortex moutan; ALD, alcoholic liver disease; IL-1β, interleukin-1β; GTE, green tea extract; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; NAFLD; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; RES, resveratrol; Fiaf, fasting-induced adipose factor; WAT, white adipose tissue; HFHS, high fat/high sugar; GSPE, grape seed proanthocyanidin extract; HON, honokiol; CAP, capsaicin; KGM, konjac glucomannan; BCAAs, branched-chain amino acids; ↑, promotion; ↓, inhibition.