Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38744403›Full record

ArticleJournal of advanced research2025

High-fat diet induces sarcopenic obesity in natural aging rats through the gut-trimethylamine N-oxide-muscle axis.

Xiaoxing Mo, Ruijie Cheng, Lihui Shen, Yunhong Sun, Pei Wang, Guanhua Jiang, Lin Wen, Xiaoqin Li, Xiaobo Peng, Yuxiao Liao and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of advanced research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. A probioticGut microbes · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
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  5. Review
  6. A Synbiotic of Lacto-Nutrients · 2026
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Vitamin KJournal of animal science and biotechnology · 2026
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
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  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Xiaoxing MoDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Ruijie ChengDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Lihui ShenDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Yunhong SunDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Pei WangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Guanhua JiangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Lin WenDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xiaoqin LiDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xiaobo PengDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Yuxiao LiaoDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Ruikun HeCAS Engineering Laboratory for Nutrition, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Hong YanDepartment of Health Toxicology, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address: yanhong@mails.tjmu.edu.cn.
Liegang LiuDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China. Electronic address: lgliu@mails.tjmu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe lack of suitable animal models for sarcopenic obesity (SO) limits in-depth research into the disease. Emerging studies have demonstrated that gut dysbiosis is involved in the development of SO. As the importance of microbial metabolites is starting to unveil, it is necessary to comprehend the specific metabolites associated with gut microbiota and SO.

objectivesWe aimed to investigate whether high-fat diet (HFD) causes SO in natural aging animal models and specific microbial metabolites that are involved in linking HFD and SO.

methodsYoung rats received HFD or control diet for 80 weeks, and obesity-related metabolic disorders and sarcopenia were measured. 16S rRNA sequencing and non-targeted and targeted metabolomics methods were used to detect fecal gut microbiota and serum metabolites. Gut barrier function was evaluated by intestinal barrier integrity and intestinal permeability. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) treatment was further conducted for verification.

resultsHFD resulted in body weight gain, dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation in natural aging rats. HFD also caused decreases in muscle mass, strength, function, and fiber cross-sectional area and increase in muscle fatty infiltration in natural aging rats. 16S rRNA sequencing and nontargeted and targeted metabolomics analysis indicated that HFD contributed to gut dysbiosis, mainly characterized by increases in deleterious bacteria and TMAO. HFD destroyed intestinal barrier integrity and increased intestinal permeability, as evaluated by reducing levels of colonic mucin-2, tight junction proteins, goblet cells and elevating serum level of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran 4. Correlation analysis showed a positive association between TMAO and SO. In addition, TMAO treatment aggravated the development of SO in HFD-fed aged rats through regulating the ROS-AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

conclusionHFD leads to SO in natural aging rats, partially through the gut-microbiota-TMAO-muscle axis.

Indexed as

AgingDiet, High-FatGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMethylaminesMuscle, SkeletalObesitySarcopeniaAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalDysbiosisInsulin ResistanceMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyRNA, Ribosomal, 16SMethylaminesRNA, Ribosomal, 16StrimethyloxamineGut microbiotaHigh-fat dietmTORReactive oxygen speciesSarcopenic obesityTrimethylamine N-oxide

Identifiers

PMID38744403
PMCPMC11976414

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.