To investigate the potential contribution of appetite regulation and modulation of gut microbiota to the ameliorated effects of apple
polyphenols extracts (APE) on high
carbohydrate diet (HCD)-induced
body weight (BW) gain, we conducted this study. One hundred C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into seven groups and fed with the following diets for 12 weeks: chow diet (CON), HCD (HCD), high
fructose and
sucrose diet (HSCD), and HCD and HSCD with 125 or 500 mg/kg·day APE gavage. Compared to the CON group, the BW of mice in the HCD and HSCD groups increased significantly. HSCD induced a more significant
weight gain in the white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver than HCD, accompanied by severe impairment of
glucose tolerance and a larger diameter of adipocytes. On the other hand, by decreasing food intake, APE significantly reduced BW via mechanisms, including decreased weights of the WAT and liver, amelioration of
glucose tolerance, and amplification of WAT browning by upregulating the
mRNA levels of Ucp-1 and Cidea. Moreover, APE promoted transcription and secretion of
GLP-1, with the increased expression of gut anorexigenic
hormone peptides Ffar 2/3 in the colon and
anorectic neuropeptide gene expression of
Pomc, Cart, and Mc4r in the hypothalamus, causing increased satiety. Additionally, APE significantly increased Verrucomicrobia colonization and the relative abundance of Akkermansia. APE potentially ameliorates high simple
carbohydrate diet-induced
body weight gain by mechanisms related to gut microbiota regulation and appetite inhibition.