Gut microbiota and metabolite insights into anti-obesity effect of carboxymethyl pachymaran in high-fat diet mice

Poria cocos, a well-known traditional Chinese edible-medicinal mushroom, has shown many beneficial health effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity and hyperlipidemia effect of carboxymethyl pachymaran (CMP) in high-fat diet mice, with a focus on gut microbiota and their metabolites. Results demonstrated that CMP notably decreased fat weights and serum lipid, improved glucose tolerance, and reduced lipid droplet level in hepatic tissue. CMP markedly reduced the ratio between Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, decreased the abundances of Dubosiella newyorkensis and Faecealibaculum rodentium, but increased the abundances of Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum. In addition, CMP significantly promoted the production of butyric acid (BA) while decreased the levels of hepatic bile acids. Association analysis showed that physio-biochemical traits were negatively associated with A. muciniphila and BA, whereas showed a positive correlation to F. rodentium and differential bile acids. Together, CMP can alleviate obesity and related complications by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites.