Effect of chia flour associated with high fat diet on intestinal health in female ovariectomized Wistar rats

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of chia flour associated with a high fat diet on intestinal health in female ovariectomized Wistar rats.

Methods: The study was conducted with 32 adult female ovariectomized Wistar rats, which were separated into four groups: standard diet (ST), standard diet with chia (STC), high fat diet (HF) and high fat diet with chia (HFC) for 18 weeks. Cecum content pH, short chain fatty acid content, brush border membrane functionality and morphology and the gut microbiota were evaluated.

Results: This study demonstrated that the consumption of chia flour increased the production of acetic and butyric acids, the longitudinal and circular muscle layers and crypt thickness. It also improved the expression of aminopeptidase (AP) and sucrose-isomaltase (SI) and decreased the cecum content pH. Further, the consumption of chia improved richness and decreased diversity of the microbiota. Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) clustering indicated difference between the ST and STC groups. In the linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis, the Bacteroides genus and members of the Muribaculaceae and Lachnospiraceae families were enriched in the STC treatment group. The STC group demonstrated the enrichment of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways related to peptidoglycan and coenzyme A biosynthesis.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that chia flour, which is rich in dietary fiber and phenolic compounds, presented potential properties to improve intestinal health.

Keywords: Chia seed; Diversity analysis; Gut health; Gut microbiome; Intestinal functionality; Short chain fatty acids.