The gastrointestinal (GI) tract can play a critical role in the development of pathologies associated with
overeating,
overweight and
obesity. We previously observed that supplementation with
anthocyanins (AC) (particularly
glycosides of
cyanidin and
delphinidin) mitigated high fat diet (HFD)-induced development of
obesity,
dyslipidemia,
insulin resistance and steatosis in C57BL/6J mice. This paper investigated whether these beneficial effects could be related to AC capacity to sustain intestinal monolayer integrity, prevent
endotoxemia, and HFD-associated
dysbiosis. The involvement of redox-related mechanisms were further investigated in Caco-2 cell monolayers. Consumption of a HFD for 14 weeks caused intestinal permeabilization and
endotoxemia, which were associated with a decreased ileum expression of tight junction (TJ)
proteins (
occludin, ZO-1 and
claudin-1), increased expression of
NADPH oxidase (NOX1 and NOX4) and NOS2 and oxidative stress, and activation of redox sensitive signals (NF-κB and ERK1/2) that regulate TJ dynamics. AC supplementation mitigated all these events and increased GLP-2 levels, the
intestinal hormone that upregulates TJ
protein expression. AC also prevented, in vitro,
tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced Caco-2 monolayer permeabilization, NOX1/4 upregulation, oxidative stress, and NF-κB and ERK activation. HFD-induced
obesity in mice caused
dysbiosis and affected the levels and secretion of MUC2, a
mucin that participates in intestinal cell barrier protection and immune response. AC supplementation restored microbiota composition and MUC2 levels and distribution in HFD-fed mice. Thus, AC, particularly
delphinidin and
cyanidin, can preserve GI physiology in HFD-induced
obesity in part through redox-regulated mechanisms. This can in part explain AC capacity to mitigate pathologies, i.e.
insulin resistance and steatosis, associated with HFD-associated
obesity.