Activation of a Specific Gut Bacteroides-Folate-Liver Axis Benefits for the Alleviation of Nonalcoholic Hepatic Steatosis

Summary A beneficial gut Bacteroides-folate-liver pathway regulating lipid metabolism is demonstrated. Oral administration of a Ganoderma meroterpene derivative (GMD) ameliorates nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis in the liver of fa/fa rats by reducing endotoxemia, enhancing lipid oxidation, decreasing de novo lipogenesis, and suppressing lipid export from the liver. An altered gut microbiota with an increase of butyrate and folate plays a causative role in the effects of GMD. The commensal bacteria Bacteroides xylanisolvens, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides dorei, and Bacteroides uniformis, which are enriched by GMD, are major contributors to the increased gut folate. Administration of live B. xylanisolvens reduces hepatic steatosis and enhances the folate-mediated signaling pathways in mice. Knockout of the folate biosynthetic folp gene in B. xylanisolvens blocks its folate production and beneficial effects. This work confirms the therapeutic potential of GMD and B. xylanisolvens in alleviating nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis and provides evidence for benefits of the gut Bacteroides-folate-liver pathway.