Oral treatment with Eubacterium hallii improves insulin sensitivity in db/db mice

• © The Author(s) 2016. An altered intestinal microbiota composition is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We previously identified increased intestinal levels of Eubacterium hallii, an anaerobic bacterium belonging to the butyrate-producing Lachnospiraceae family, in metabolic syndrome subjects who received a faecal transplant from a lean donor. To further assess the effects of E. hallii on insulin sensitivity, we orally treated obese and diabetic db/db mice with alive E. hallii and glycerol or heatinactive E. hallii as control. Insulin tolerance tests and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp experiments revealed that alive E. hallii treatment improved insulin sensitivity compared control treatment. In addition, E. hallii treatment increased energy expenditure in db/db mice. Active E. hallii treatment was found to increase faecal butyrate concentrations and to modify bile acid metabolism compared with heat-inactivated controls. Our data suggest that E. hallii administration potentially alters the function of the intestinal microbiome and that microbial metabolites may contribute to the improved metabolic phenotype.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Mikrobiologi inom det medicinska området (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Microbiology in the medical area (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Endokrinologi och diabetes (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Endocrinology and Diabetes (hsv//eng)

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art (subject category)