The gut microbiota confers the lipid-lowering effect of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) In high-fat diet (HFD)-Induced hyperlipidemic mice

The bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a medical food with well-documented hypoglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic activities. Previous studies showed that the M. charantia fruit (MC) could modulate the gut microbiota, but whether this modulation is essential for MC's pharmacological effects is largely unknown. Here, we assessed the causality of gut microbes in MC-elicited anti-hyperlipidemic effects for the first time. Oral administration of MC significantly prevented hyperlipidemia, but this amelioration substantially diminished when co-treated with antibiotics. Transplantation of gut flora from MC-treated donor mice also significantly decreased serum lipids. The microbiological analysis revealed that MC moderately increased diversity and shifted the overall structure of gut microbiota. It selectively enhanced the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs)-producing genera and increased fecal SCFAs content. These results demonstrate that M. charantia fruit (MC) may exert an anti-hyperlipidemic effect through modulating gut microbes and increasing SCFAs production.