Polysaccharide MCP extracted from <i>Morchella esculenta</i> reduces atherosclerosis in LDLR-deficient mice
Dandan Wang, Zequn Yin, Likun Ma, Lan Han, Yan Chen, Wen‐Juan Pan, Ke Gong, Yongyao Gao, Xiaoxiao Yang, Yuanli Chen, Jihong Han, Yajun Duan
Abstract
) mice were fed high-fat diet (HFD) and administered intragastrically (i.g.) with saline or MCP dissolved in saline for 15 weeks. We found that MCP inhibited en face and sinus lesions. Moreover, serum levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride were decreased by MCP. The HFD-induced hepatic lipid accumulation was also attenuated by MCP. The underlying molecular mechanisms of anti-atherogenic and lipogenic effects of MCP might be attributed to reduced cholesterol synthesis by activating AMPKα signaling pathway and inhibiting SREBP2 expression. In addition, MCP-decreased serum triglyceride level is related to inhibiting LXRα expression. Taken together, these results indicate that MCP markedly alleviates atherosclerosis and M. esculenta can be used as a functional food additive to benefit patients with atherosclerosis.