Dietary Supplementation of Edible Mushroom Phallus atrovolvatus Aqueous Extract Attenuates Brain Changes in the AppNL−G−F Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

TL;DR

A mushroom extract from Phallus atrovolvatus may help reduce brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease without harming gut health.

Contribution

This study shows that Phallus atrovolvatus extract reduces AD-related brain changes in a mouse model.

Findings

MAE reduced Aβ deposition and gliosis in the hippocampus of AppNL−G−F mice.

MAE increased specific immune cell frequencies in female and male AppNL−G−F mice.

MAE had no adverse effects on gut leakiness or memory performance.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dementia and brain accumulation of Aβ-peptide-containing plaques, gliosis, neuroimmune changes, and neurofibrillary tangles. Mushroom polysaccharides have been previously reported to have anti-neuroinflammation activity through the gut–brain axis. This study aimed to evaluate whether a dietary intervention with Phallus atrovolvatus, a recently identified edible mushroom in Thailand, could have a benefit on gut health and alleviate AD-related changes. Methods: Male and female 6–8-month-old littermate wild-type control (C57BL/6J) and AppNL−G−F mice were randomly assigned to either a control diet or a diet supplemented with mushroom aqueous extract (MAE) for 8 weeks to quantify changes in body weight, intestine, immune cells, short chain fatty acids, brain cytokines, amyloid-β (Aβ) levels, gliosis, and memory. Results: MAE had no adverse effects on gut leakiness and increased pyruvate levels in serum. Splenocyte immune profiling revealed a significant increase in the frequency of IgM+, IA_IE+, and CD14+ cells in MAE-administered AppNL−G−F
female mice compared to their vehicle controls. AppNL−G−F
male mice that received MAE showed a significant increase in the frequency of cytotoxic CD8 T cells within the cervical lymph nodes compared to their wild-type counterparts. Aβ deposition and gliosis were significantly reduced in the hippocampi of the MAE-supplemented AppNL−G−F groups. However, MAE feeding did not alter spatial recognition memory in either sex or genotype compared to their vehicle groups. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that the administration of P. atrovolvatus aqueous extract showed neuroprotective potential against AD-related changes in the brain with no adverse impact on gut health and memory.

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