Fig. 5
The effects of alive, pasteurized A. muciniphila and its EVs on weight, morphology, obesity-related genes, and inflammatory mediators in epididymal white adipose tissue of HFD-fed mice. a H&E staining of epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) section of mice (Yellow Arrows: infiltration of inflammatory cells, scale bar is 50 µm). b eWAT weight in ND, HFD, and treatment groups. c The expression of lipid metabolism and inflammation-related genes (e.g., ppar-α, lpl, tgf-β, tlr-4, il-6, and tnf-α) in the eWAT of mice. d The concentration of cytokines (i.e., TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10) in the eWAT of mice. Data are presented as the mean ± SD, N = 7 per group. #p < 0.05; HFD vs. ND, ap < 0.05; bp < 0.01; treatment groups vs. HFD, and *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; among treatment groups were considered statistically significant, respectively. ND: normal diet + PBS, HFD: high fat diet + PBS, HAm: high fat diet + A. muciniphila (109 CFU), HPAm: high fat diet + pasteurized A. muciniphila (109 CFU), and HEV: high fat diet + EVs (10 µg protein)