Eugenol, A Major Component of Clove Oil, Attenuates Adiposity, and Modulates Gut Microbiota in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Scope Eugenol (EU), the major aromatic compound derived from clove oil, is being focused recently due to its potential in preventing several chronic conditions. Herein, this study aims to evaluate the potential of EU in obesity prevention and to delineate the mechanisms involved. Methods and results Five-week-old male C57BL/6J mice are fed with high-fat diet (HFD) or HFD supplemented with EU (0.2%, w/w) for 13 weeks. EU significantly reduces obesity-related indexes including final body weight, body weight gain, adipocyte size, visceral fat-pad weight, and fasting blood glucose. EU prevents HFD-induced gut dysbiosis, as indicated by the increase of Firmicutes and decrease of Desulfobacterota at phylum level, and the increase of Dubosiella, Blautia, unclassified_f_Oscillospiraceae, and unclassified_f_Ruminococcaceae, and the decrease of Alistipes, Alloprevotella, and Bilophila at genus level. Notably, the obesity-related indexes are positively correlated with the relative abundances of Bacteroides, unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, Colidextribacter, and Bilophila, and negatively correlated with the relative abundances of norank_f_Muribaculaceae and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group. Moreover, the preventive effects of EU on obesity are accompanied by the transcriptomic reprogramming of white adipose tissue. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that EU prevents the HFD-induced adiposity and modulates gut dysbiosis, and highlight the potential of EU in obesity intervention as a functional dietary supplement.