Novel Lauric Acid‐Butyric Structural Lipid Inhibits Inflammation: Small Intestinal Microbes May Be Important Mediators

Scope Butyric acid (C4) and lauric acid (C12) are recognized as functional fatty acids, while the health benefits of the structural lipids they constitute remain unclear. Methods and results In this study, lauric acid‐butyric structural lipid (S LBL ) is synthesized through ultrasound‐assisted enzyme‐catalyzed acidolysis and its health benefits are evaluated in a high‐fat diet‐induced obesity mouse model. S LBL and its physical mixture (M LBL ) do not significantly inhibit obesity in mice. However, S LBL treatment increases the ratio of n3/n6 fatty acids in the liver and improves obesity‐induced hepatic lipid metabolism disorders. Furthermore, the expression of liver pro‐inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]‐6, IL‐1β, TNF‐α) are significantly suppressed by S LBL , while the expression of anti‐inflammatory cytokine (IL‐10) is increased. Moreover, S LBL ameliorates the dysbiosis of small intestinal microbes induced by high‐fat diet and regulates microbial community structure to be close to the control group. Especially, S LBL significantly alleviates the high‐fat diet‐induced decrease in Dubosiella and Bifidobacterium abundance. Correlation analysis reveals that S LBL treatment increases the abundance of microorganisms with potential anti‐inflammatory function and decreases the abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria. Conclusion In all, small intestinal microbes may be a significant bridge for the positive anti‐inflammatory effects of S LBL , while the exact mechanism remains to be clarified.