An extra honey polyphenols-rich diet ameliorates the high-fat diet induced chronic kidney disease via modulating gut microbiota in C57BL/6 mice

Abstract

Honey is not equivalent to sugar and possess a worldwide health promoting effects such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. Nevertheless, the potential impacts of honey on high-fat diet induced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and gut microbiota remain to be explored. Herein a high-fat diet was used to induce a mouse CKD model, and analysis was conducted on liver, kidney, spleen indices, tissue morphology, biochemical parameters, CKD related genes, and gut microbial diversity. The results indicated that significant inhibitory effects on renal damage caused by a high-fat diet in mice and improvement in disease symptoms were observed upon honey treatment. Significant changes were also found in serum TC, TG, UA, and BUN as well as the inflammation-related protein TNF-α and IL-6 levels in renal tissues. Gene expression analysis revealed that honey intake closely relates to gut microbiota diversity, which can regulate the composition of gut microbiota, increase microbial diversity, especially Bifidobacteriales and S24_7 and promote the synthesis of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In summary, this study suggests that honey has both preventive and therapeutic effects on CKD, which may be associated with its ability to improve microbial composition, increase microbial diversity, and regulate SCFAs levels.

Keywords:

• Honey
• chronic kidney disease (CKD)
• phenolic compounds
• gut microbiota
• short chain fatty acids

Acknowledgement

All authors participated in reviewing the manuscript and have no conflicts to declare.

Author contributions

Suggestions: software, writing—review and editing, designed the research, performed the research, writing—original draft preparation, investigation, supervision, project administration, funding acquisition, etc.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Shaanxi High-Level Talent Special Support Plan [OCYRCXM-2022-214], Shaanxi Science & Technology Project [2019NY-137 and 2022NY-019], Xi’an Science and Technology Planning Project [No. 22NYYF047] and The National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 82072145]