Effects of metformin on gut microbiota and short-/medium-chain fatty acids in high-fat diet rats.

Sep 8, 2025Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences

Metformin's effects on gut bacteria and digestive fatty acids in rats fed a high-fat diet

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Abstract

Metformin treatment significantly increased levels of beneficial short-/medium-chain fatty acids in high-fat diet rats.

Metformin improved glucose and lipid metabolic disorders and liver injury in rats on a high-fat diet.
The abundance of beneficial bacteria increased while certain harmful bacteria decreased with metformin treatment.
Significant elevations were observed in colonic levels of butyric acid, 2-methyl butyric acid, valeric acid, octanoic acid, and lauric acid.
Levels of acetic acid, isoheptanoic acid, and nonanoic acid were significantly reduced after metformin treatment.
Certain bacterial abundances were negatively correlated with body weight gain and insulin resistance.
Higher levels of butyrate and valerate were negatively correlated with insulin resistance and liver injury.

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OBJECTIVES: Recent evidence suggests that the gut may be a primary site of metformin action. However, studies on the effects of metformin on gut microbiota remain limited, and its impact on gut microbial metabolites such as short-/medium-chain fatty acids is unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of metformin on gut microbiota, short-/medium-chain fatty acids, and associated metabolic benefits in high-fat diet rats.

METHODS: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: 1) Normal diet group (ND group), fed standard chow; 2) high-fat diet group (HFD group), fed a high-fat diet; 3) high-fat diet + metformin treatment group (HFD+Met group), fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks, followed by daily intragastric administration of metformin solution (150 mg/kg body weight) starting in week 9. At the end of the experiment, all rats were sacrificed, and serum, liver, and colonic contents were collected for assessment of glucose and lipid metabolism, liver pathology, gut microbiota composition, and the concentrations of short-/medium-chain fatty acids.

RESULTS: Metformin significantly improved HFD-induced glucose and lipid metabolic disorders and liver injury. Compared with the HFD group, the HFD+Met group showed reduced abundance of,,, ands, whileabundance significantly increased (all<0.05). Colonic contents of butyric acid, 2-methyl butyric acid, valeric acid, octanoic acid, and lauric acid were significantly elevated (all<0.05), whereas acetic acid, isoheptanoic acid, and nonanoic acid levels were significantly decreased (all<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis revealed thatabundance was negatively correlated with body weight gain and insulin resistance, while butyrate and valerate levels were negatively correlated with insulin resistance and liver injury (all<0.05). Blautia Romboutsia Bilophila Bacteroide Lactobacillus P P P Lactobacillus P

CONCLUSIONS: Metformin significantly increases the abundance of beneficial bacteria such asand promotes the production of short-/medium-chain fatty acids including butyric, valeric, and lauric acid in the colonic contents of HFD rats, suggesting that metformin may regulate host metabolism through modulation of the gut microbiota. Lactobacillus

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Effects of metformin on gut microbiota and short-/medium-chain fatty acids in high-fat diet rats.

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