Resistant dextrin reduces obesity and attenuates adipose tissue inflammation in high-fat diet-fed mice

Resistant dextrin (RD), a short chain glucose polymer, has been shown to improve type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in clinical studies. However, the improvement of adipose tissue inflammation and specific mechanisms of RD supplementation in obesity have not been fully investigated. Therefore, we examined whether RD attenuates obesity and adipose tissue inflammation in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a chow diet, a HFD or a HFD with RD supplementation for 12 weeks. Body weight (BW), fasting blood glucose (FBG), epididymal fat accumulation, serum total triglyceride (TG), free fatty acid (FFA) and inflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10) were measured. Inflammation markers and macrophage infiltration in epididymal adipose tissue were observed. After 12 weeks of intervention, the body weight gain of mice in RD supplementation group was less than that in HFD group. FBG, epididymal fat accumulation, serum TG and FFA levels were reduced in RD supplementation group compared with HFD group. Moreover, serum and mRNA levels of IL-6 were significantly reduced in the RD supplementation group. In addition, RD supplementation reduced macrophage infiltration, regulated polarization of macrophage and inhibited NF-κB signaling in epididymal adipose tissue. In conclusion, RD reduces obesity and attenuates adipose tissue inflammation in HFD-fed mice, and the inhibition of NF-κB signaling may be a presumed mechanism for its effects.