Capsaicin attenuates high-fat diet-induced impairment of B-cell immunity
Chengyu Yang1,2, Zhenya Liu1, Xiaowei Xiong3
1Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacology, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Industry, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Nanchang, China.
Purpose:
Obesity contributes to immune system dysregulation, thereby increasing the risk of developing numerous diseases. Dietary capsaicin (CAP) has been demonstrated to mitigate obesity, while its impact on B cell immunity during obesity remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the restorative effect of CAP on B cells deficiency in obese mice, and explore the underlying mechanisms.
Methods:
C57BL/6J mice were fed a standard chow diet or a high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD-fed mice were orally administered CAP. Flow cytometry was employed to evaluate the effect of CAP on B cell function in HFD mice. RNA-seq, RT-qPCR, etc, were utilized to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Results:
CAP not only ameliorated HFD-induced metabolic abnormalities, but also reversed the HFD-associated reduction in the population of intestinal germinal center (GC) and IgA+ B cells. Consequently, CAP treatment rescued the impaired response to the T cell-dependent antigen in HFD-fed mice. Mechanistically, our results indicate that the effects of CAP are correlated with the upregulation of CXCL12/CXCR4, a pathway critically involved in GC B cell migration.
Conclusions:
CAP alleviates insulin resistance and restores the impaired GC B cell in obese mice. These findings highlight a mechanism underlying the anti-obesity effect of CAP and lay a foundation for its clinical translation.
