differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes [12], [13]. Additionally, plasma proteome analysis showed that chitosan increases the level of adiponectin and decreases the levels of obesity-related proteins, such as resistin, retinol-binding protein 4, TNF-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6), contributing to the anti-diabetic and anti-obesity potentials in ob/ob mice [10]. Our data showed that chitosan significantly regulated the IL-6 and TNF-α signaling pathways in the guts, which were consistent with previous findings. Moreover, we newly identified that chitosan significantly regulated the glucose metabolic pathways, such as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and insulin signaling pathway, which might contribute to the hypoglycemic effect of chitosan.
