Abstract
Jabuticaba is a Brazilian berry known for its therapeutic potential against cancer, obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and others. It is a natural source of bioactive compounds, leading to better glucose metabolism, and attenuating obesity and IR through the reduction of pro-inflammatory status. The present study aimed to observe the prebiotic effect of freeze-dried jabuticaba peel (J) consumption on gut bacteria profile and describe its effects on IR derived from the lipopolysaccharides/Toll-like receptor-4 inflammatory pathway. Jabuticaba peel was chemically characterized, and its bioactive compounds were quantified. Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were feed with a control diet (n = 6), control diet + J (n = 6), high-fat diet (HF) (n = 6), and HF + J (n = 6) for thirteen weeks. Gut bacteriota (16s RNA sequencing), glucose metabolism (fasting glucose and insulin, OGTT, ITT, HOMA-IR, and β, QUICKI), and inflammatory status (serum lipopolysaccharide, and protein expression) were assessed. The main bioactive compounds found in J were dietary fiber, and anthocyanins, and its consumption along with a healthy diet reduced the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteriota phyla (p < 0.01), increased the Muribaculaceae and Lachnospiraceae families, and Faecalicatena genus (p < 0.05). The correlation test indicates a negative correlation between the Muribaculaceae and glucose metabolism. Jabuticaba peel is a nutritive source of bioactive compounds with prebiotic effects.