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Research Article | Open Access

Polysaccharides of Aspergillus cristatus attenuate obesity by regulating gut microbiota and gut microbiota-related metabolites

Mingzhi Zhua,b, Bohao Shanga, Fang Zhoua, Yong Yuanc, Feiyan Yinc, Jin Caoc, Jianan Huanga, Kunbo Wanga, Xin Zengb(), Maiquan Lid(), Zhonghua Liua()
College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
Hunan Tea Group Co., Ltd., Changsha 410128, China
School of Food Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China

Peer review under responsibility of Tsinghua University Press.

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Highlights

• Golden-flower fungus in Fu-brick tea was identified as Aspergillus cristatus.

• A. cristatus polysaccharides (ACPS) effectively attenuated obesity in rats.

• ACPS regulated short chain fatty acid and bile acid metabolism in gut.

• The anti-obesity of ACPS was attributed to the modulation on gut microbiota.

• ACPS might serve as a prebiotic to treat obesity and modulate gut microbiota.

Abstract

Golden-flower fungus, the only dominant microorganism determining the Fu-brick tea quality through fermentation and the important microbe in Liupao tea, is considered a potential probiotic fungus based on its anti-obesity effect. However, the classif ication of golden-f lower fungi is still controversial; the anti-obesity effect of golden-f lower fungus polysaccharides remains unknown. In this study, we identify a golden-f lower strain as Aspergillus cristatus based on morphological characteristics and multigene phylogeny analysis, which resolves the controversy of classif ication. Moreover, we f ind A. cristatus polysaccharides (ACPS) attenuate obesity in rats. ACPS modulate gut bacterial composition, in which Akkermansia, Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides, Romboutsia, Blautia, and Desulfovibrio are considered the core microbes regulated by ACPS.ACPS increase fecal total short-chain fatty acid content and serum, hepatic, and fecal total bile acid content. Furthermore, ACPS-induced gut microbiota alteration plays a causal role in the protection from obesity, according to a fecal transplantation experiment. Thus, ACPS ameliorate obesity by regulating gut microbiota and gut microbiota-related metabolites.

Keywords

Golden-f lower fungusAspergillus cristatusPolysaccharidesObesityGut microbiota

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Food Science and Human Wellness
Volume 13 Issue 3,
May 2024
Pages 1513-1530
DOI: 10.26599/FSHW.2022.9250128
Cite this article:
Zhu M, Shang B, Zhou F, et al. Polysaccharides of Aspergillus cristatus attenuate obesity by regulating gut microbiota and gut microbiota-related metabolites. Food Science and Human Wellness, 2024, 13(3): 1513-1530. https://doi.org/10.26599/FSHW.2022.9250128
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