title: Diet-induced obesity causes metabolic impairment independent of alterations in gut barrier integrity.
abstract: METHODS
  The causal relationship between diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders is not clear yet. One hypothesis is whether the obese state or high-fat diet per se affects intestinal barrier function provoking metabolic comorbidities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In three independent experiments with AKR/J, SWR/J, or BL/6J mice, we addressed the impact of genetic background, excess body fat storage, duration of high-fat feeding, and quality/quantity of dietary fat on glucose tolerance and gut barrier integrity in vivo and ex vivo. Impaired glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese BL/6J and AKR/J mice was not accompanied by an altered intestinal barrier function. Enforced dietary challenge by prolonged feeding and increasing fat quantity in BL/6J mice still failed to aggravate metabolic and intestinal deterioration. Despite a low-grade inflammatory status in adipose tissue, barrier function of BL/6J mice fed lard high-fat diet revealed no evidence for a diet-induced loss in barrier integrity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  None of our results provided any evidence that gut barrier function is a subject to dietary regulation and obesity per se seems not to cause gut barrier impairment.
authors: Department of Molecular Nutritional Medicine, ZIEL - Research Center for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.
authors: Caroline
authors: C
authors: Kless
authors: Veronika Maria
authors: VM
authors: Müller
authors: Valentina Luise
authors: VL
authors: Schüppel
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Lichtenegger
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Rychlik
authors: Hannelore
authors: H
authors: Daniel
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Klingenspor
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Haller
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D019446:Endotoxemia / Q000209:etiology; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008806:Mice, Inbred AKR; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D005947:Glucose
keywords: Diet-induced obesity; Glucose tolerance; Gut barrier integrity; High-fat diet; Mouse strains