Day and night reversed feeding aggravates high-fat diet-induced abnormalities in intestinal flora and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue of mice

Background The incongruity between dietary patterns and the circadian clock poses an elevated risk for metabolic health issues, particularly obesity and associated metabolic disorders. The intestinal microflora engages in regulating various physiological functions of the host through its metabolites. Objective This study aimed to investigate the impact of reversed feeding schedules during the day and night on intestinal flora and lipid metabolism in high-fat-induced obese mice. Methods Mice aged 8-10 weeks were subjected to either daytime or nighttime feeding, and were administered a control or high-fat diet for 18 weeks. At the end of the experiment, various assessments were conducted, including analysis of serum biochemical indices, histological examination, evaluation of gene and protein expression in adipose tissue, and scrutiny of changes in intestinal microbial composition. Results The results showed that day-night reversed feeding caused an increase in fasting blood glucose, and exacerbated the high-fat diet-induced weight gain and lipid abnormalities. The mRNA expression levels of Leptin and Dgat1 were increased by day-night reversed feeding, which also reduced the expression level of adiponectin under the high-fat diet. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the protein levels of PPARγ, SREBP1c, and CD36. Inverted feeding schedules led to a reduction in intestinal microbial diversity, an increase in the abundance of inflammation-related bacteria, such as Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002, and a suppression of beneficial bacteria, including Akkermansia, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Anaeroplasma, Bifidobacterium, Carnobacterium, and Odoribacter. Acinetobacter exhibited a significant negative correlation with Leptin and Fasn, suggesting potential involvement in the regulation of lipid metabolism. Conclusions The results elucidated the abnormalities of lipid metabolism and intestinal flora caused by day-night reversed feeding, which exacerbates the adverse effects of a high-fat diet on lipid metabolism and intestinal microflora. This reversal in feeding patterns may disrupt both intestinal and lipid metabolism homeostasis by altering the composition and abundance of intestinal microflora in mice.