Effect of (D)-fagomine on excreted Enterobacteria and weight gain in rats fed a high-fat high-sucrose diet

Objective: Becoming overweight has been related to elevated levels of Enterobacteriales in the gut. d-Fagomine is an iminosugar that has been shown to selectively agglutinate Enterobacteriales in vitro. The goal of this work is to establish whether d-fagomine exerts a similar effect in vivo and whether this has any downstream consequences on weight gain.

Methods: The rats were fed a high-fat high-sucrose diet (HFHS) supplemented with d-fagomine (or not; for comparison) or a standard diet for 5 weeks. The levels of total bacteria, Enterobacteriales and Escherichia coli were determined in fecal samples by performing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions on DNA.

Results: Whereas the total levels of bacteria were independent of the diet, rats fed HFHS (without d-fagomine) excreted significantly higher proportions of Enterobacteriales and E. coli than those fed a standard diet. The levels of Enterobacteriales and E. coli of the rats given HFHS with d-fagomine were similar to those of the rats fed a standard diet. Compared to the standard group, rats fed HFHS with d-fagomine gained significantly less weight (15.3%) than those fed HFHS (20.9%).

Conclusion: d-Fagomine reduces the amount of Enterobacteriales excreted by rats fed HFHS and this may help to avert becoming obese.