A mix of apple pomace polysaccharide improves mitochondrial function and reduces oxidative stress in the liver of high-fat diet-induced obese mice

Scope: Apple pomace polysaccharides (APP), a free radical scavenger, is one of the major compounds derived from apple pomace. However, whether APP has beneficial effects on metabolic disorders is still unknown. Methods and results: In the present study, water-soluble APP was isolated from the pomace of the locally abundant “Qinguan” apple and chemically characterized. Then, APP was orally administrated to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. We found that APP significantly reduced HFD-induced body weight gain and ameliorated HFD-induced hepatic metabolic disorders and oxidative stress. In a palmitate-loaded HepG2 cell model, APP protected the cells from palmitate-induced insulin resistance and loss of viability by suppressing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and rescuing mitochondrial respiratory function. Conclusion: Our work suggests that APP, a promising bioactive food component, successfully improved obesity-associated hepatic metabolic disorder, most likely though the activation of hepatic mitochondrial function and the suppression of mitochondria oxidative stress.