Sihua Wang, Yuehua Chen, Lihui Qin, Ruichen Wang, Fan Dong, Yarong Wang, Fuan ZHANG, Zhiwen Wu, Zhangfeng Zhong, Guozhen Cui
Abstract BACKGROUND Camellia diacylglycerol oil (CDO), produced by enzymatic glycerolysis of camellia oil, is widely consumed as a functional food ingredient; however, its cardiovascular benefits remain insufficiently characterized. This study investigated the effects of CDO on high‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced atherosclerosis and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in ApoE −/− mice, with a particular focus on alterations in gut microbiota and metabolomic profiles. RESULTS Compared with the vehicle group, CDO supplementation (3 and 6 mL kg −1 ) reduced aortic plaque area by approximately 50% without significantly affecting body weight in the mice. CDO treatment significantly decreased serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, at the same time as increasing high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Notably, CDO administered at 3 mL kg −1 demonstrated greater efficacy than camellia oil in improving TG and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, CDO supplementation significantly alleviated hepatic histopathological injury, reduced Oil Red O‐positive lipid deposition and lowered hepatic TG and TC levels compared to the vehicle group. Gut microbiota analysis revealed a decreased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increased relative abundances of Roseburia and Faecalibaculum in CDO‐treated mice. Metabolomic profiling further identified ether lipid metabolism and bile acid‐related pathways as potential mediators of the metabolic improvements‐induced by CDO. CONCLUSION CDO was more effective than camellia oil in mitigating HFD‐induced atherosclerosis and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in ApoE −/− mice, most likely through coordinated modulation of the gut–liver–vascular axis. These findings support the potential of CDO as a functional food ingredient for cardiovascular risk reduction and warrant further validation in human studies. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.