Ketogenic diet attenuates high fat diet induced obesity in rats: insights into hepatic and intestinal tissues

The rising global prevalence of obesity and its impact on health and economy make finding available safe treatment an urgent need. Ketogenic diet represents trendy dietary intervention, while underlying molecular mechanisms remains unclear. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: Control (maintained on conventional chow diet for 24 weeks), HFD (fed High-fat diet (HFD) for 24 weeks), keto (fed HFD for 12 weeks, then ketogenic diet for additional 12 weeks). Effect of ketogenic diet on serum metabolomics using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Liquid Chromatography on both positive and negative modes; hepatic tissue using histopathological examination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Real time Polymerase Chain Reaction, proteome array detection; intestinal tissue using histopathological examination, ELISA and adipose tissue using histopathological examination were evaluated. The ketogenic diet reduced rat weight, food intake, epididymal fat mass, and blood glucose level compared to HFD group. Furthermore, it resulted in a decrease in serum methionine, linolenic acid, Lyso Phosphatidylcholine (PC) (15.0:0.0), Lyso PC (18.0:0.0) with hepatic repression of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and type II cell surface protein/ Dipeptidyl peptidase 4, Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1, Insulin growth factor-1, Lipocalin-2, Serpin E1, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1, receptor for advanced glycation end products and induction of Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) which leads to hepatic antioxidant effects and histopathological amelioration. In addition, the ketogenic diet caused intestinal induction of melanocortin-4 receptors/ glucagon-like peptide 1 pathway, which causes intestinal antioxidant effects and histopathological amelioration. Thus, ketogenic diet stated potential anti-obesity effect that mitigates HFD-induced organ damage through the modulation of key metabolic and signaling networks.