Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous -Derived Astaxanthin Regulates Lipid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota in Obese Mice Induced by A High-Fat Diet

Astaxanthin is an important antioxidant with many biological activities such as anti-tumor, anti-obesity, cardioprotective, and immuno-modulatory activities. Most of these biological activities are derived from (3S,3'S)-astaxanthin, while the activities of (3R,3'R)-astaxanthin are rarely reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of (3R,3'R)-astaxanthin on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in mice fed with a high-fat diet. In this work, 40 male C57BL/6 mice were divided into 8 groups fed a high-fat diet supplemented or not with (3R,3'R)-astaxanthin or for 8 weeks. The weight gain, energy intake, fat index, plasma triacylglycerol and cholesterol, liver triacylglycerol and cholesterol, and gut microbiota were determined. The results showed that the addition of (3R,3'R)-astaxanthin/ to the high-fat diet as a supplement prevented weight gain, reduced plasma and liver triacylglycerol, and decreased plasma and liver total cholesterol. The addition of (3R,3'R)-astaxanthin/ also regulated the gut microbiota of the mice, which optimized the ratio of to and increased the content of , especially . The changes in the gut microflora achieved a healthier structure, thus reducing the incidence of obesity. Thus (3R,3'R)-Astaxanthin has the function of regulating lipid metabolism and gut microbiota to prevent obesity caused by a high-fat diet. The production strain of (3R,3'R)-astaxanthin, , has the same function as astaxanthin in preventing obesity caused by a high-fat diet, which reflects its potential ability as a probiotic drug.