Effects of dietary supplementation of polysaccharide from Agaricus blazei Murr on productive performance, egg quality, blood metabolites, intestinal morphology and microbiota of Korean quail.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Agaricus blazei polysaccharide (ABP) at varying concentrations on the performance, egg quality, blood biochemistry, intestinal morphology, and microflora of quail. METHODS: The study involved a total of 2,700 Korean quails, which were randomly divided into three groups. The measured variables encompassed productive performance, egg parameters, carcass parameters, serum metabolites, immune response parameters, antioxidative properties, and gut microbiome. RESULTS: The addition of ABP did not have a significant effect on average daily feed intake. However, it was found to increase the average daily egg weight and egg production rate, reduce the feed-egg ratio. There were no significant impacts on egg quality measures such as egg shape index, egg yolk index and color, egg yolk and protein content. However, ABP supplementation significantly increased the Hough unit (p<0.01) and decreased the rate of unqualified eggs (p<0.01). Regarding serum parameters, the inclusion led to an increase in total protein concentration (p<0.05) and a reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.05). There were no significant effects observed on immune indicators such as immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgM. ABP supplementation increased the levels of serum antioxidant indicators, including glutathione peroxidase, total superoxide dismutase (p<0.05), and total antioxidant capacity colorimeter (p<0.05). Furthermore, ABP supplementation significantly elevated the intramuscular fatty acid content in quail meat. Additionally, ABP supplementation demonstrated a significant improvement in the diversity of gut microbiota and induced alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate that dietary supplementation of ABP enhanced production performance and antioxidant capacity while increasing the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in quail muscle.

Agaricus blazei Polysaccharide Alleviates DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice by Modulating Intestinal Barrier and Remodeling Metabolism.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic noninfectious intestinal disease that severely affects patients' quality of life. Agaricus blazei Murrill polysaccharide (ABP) is an effective active ingredient extracted from Agaricus blazei Murrill (ABM). It has good efficacy in inhibiting tumor cell growth, lowering blood pressure, and improving atherosclerosis. However, its effect on colitis is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the protective effects and potential mechanisms of ABP against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis in mice. The results showed that dietary supplementation with ABP significantly alleviated DSS-induced colitis symptoms, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress. Meanwhile, ABP intervention was able to maintain the integrity of the intestinal mechanical barrier by promoting the expression of ZO-1 and Occludin tight junction proteins and facilitating mucus secretion. Moreover, 16S rRNA sequencing results suggested that ABP intervention was able to alleviate DSS-induced gut microbiota disruption, and nontargeted metabolomics results indicated that ABP was able to remodel metabolism. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that dietary supplementation with ABP alleviated DSS-induced acute colitis by maintaining intestinal barrier integrity and remodeling metabolism. These results improve our understanding of ABP function and provide a theoretical basis for the use of dietary supplementation with ABP for the prevention of ulcerative colitis.

Protective Effect of Agaricus blazei Polysaccharide Against Cadmium-Induced Damage on the Testis of Chicken.

Cadmium (Cd) exposure can cause reproductive toxicity through oxidative stress and inflammatory response. A polysaccharide extract of the edible mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill has been isolated and exhibits antioxidant activity and immunoregulatory effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective role of Agaricus blazei polysaccharide (ABP) against Cd-induced damage in chicken testis through enhancing antioxidant activity and alleviating inflammatory response. One hundred twenty healthy 7-day-old Hy-Line male chickens (Harbin, China) were randomly divided into four groups, and each group consisted of 30 chickens: Normal control was fed daily with full feed and 0.2 mL distilled water per day via oral gavage; Cd-treated group was fed daily with full feed that contained 140 mg/kg CdCl2 and 0.2 mL distilled water per day by gavage; Polysaccharide-treated group was fed daily with full feed with 0.2 mL ABP(30 mg/ml) solution per day via oral gavage; Cd/polysaccharide-treated group was fed daily with full feed containing 140 mg/kg CdCl2 and 0.2 mL ABP(30 mg/ml) solution per day by gavage. On the 20, 40, and 60 days, the testis was immediately removed. The contents of Cd in the testis, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), malondialdehyde (MDA) production, messenger RNA (m RNA) levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), protein expressions of heat shock proteins (HSPs) (HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90), and the histopathological changes of the testis were determined. The results indicated that ABP improved Cd-caused testicular tissue damage by increasing the SOD and GSH-Px activities: decreasing the Cd accumulation and MDA content, mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6, and protein expressions of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90. Results suggest that ABP for the mitigation of damage induced by cadmium in chicken testis through enhancing antioxidant activity and alleviating Inflammatory response.

Impact of Symbiotic Probiotic Fermentation on Anti-tumor Effect of Agaricus blazei Polysaccharide / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To investigate the impact of symbiotic probiotic fermentation on anti-tumor effect of Agaricus blazei polysaccharide. Methods Probiotic fermentation and non-fermentation of Agaricus blazei polysaccharide samples were divided into large (0.8 g/kg), middle (0.4 g/kg), small (0.2 g/kg) dose groups, and negative control group for a total of 7 group. The anti-tumor effect on tumor-bearing mice was observed. Results The highest inhibition rate of probiotic fermentation Agaricus blazei polysaccharides group was 53.71%, while that of non-fermatation of Agaricus blazei polysaccharide group was 38.90%. Conclusion Inhibition rate of probiotic fermentation samples of Agaricus blazei polysaccharide was significantly higher than non-fermentation samples. Probiotic fermentation can significantly improve the anti-tumor effect of the Agaricus blazei.