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Fermented Lentinus edodes improves insulin sensitivity in dam and offspring mice via activation of the hepatic PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2025

Ziying Li Open the ORCID record for Ziying Li [Opens in a new window] ,
Wei Zhang ,
Menglin Yang ,
Shiqi Zheng ,
Yanlin Zhang ,
Weiying Huang ,
Yanting Tan ,
Hanhua Wang ,
Guoyong Zhou  and
Wei Wang
...Show all authors
Ziying Li
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Wei Zhang
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Menglin Yang
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Shiqi Zheng
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Yanlin Zhang
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Weiying Huang
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Yanting Tan
Affiliation:
YueHao Biotechnology (Guangzhou) Co, Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, People’s Republic of China
Hanhua Wang
Affiliation:
YueHao Biotechnology (Guangzhou) Co, Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, People’s Republic of China
Guoyong Zhou
Affiliation:
YueHao Biotechnology (Guangzhou) Co, Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, People’s Republic of China
Wei Wang
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Junwen Wang
Affiliation:
Division of AOS & CDC, Faculty of Dentistry, and State Key Lab of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Rui Li*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Hunan Research Center of Livestock and Poultry Sciences, South Central Experimental Station of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in the Ministry of Agriculture, National Engineering Laboratory for Poultry Breeding Pollution Control and Resource Technology, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, People’s Republic of China
Yanhua Huang*
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Jie Peng*
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
*
Corresponding authors: Rui Li; Email: lirui181000@163.com, Yanhua Huang; Email: huangyanhua@zhku.edu.cn, Jie Peng; Email: pengjie@zhku.edu.cn
Corresponding authors: Rui Li; Email: lirui181000@163.com, Yanhua Huang; Email: huangyanhua@zhku.edu.cn, Jie Peng; Email: pengjie@zhku.edu.cn
Corresponding authors: Rui Li; Email: lirui181000@163.com, Yanhua Huang; Email: huangyanhua@zhku.edu.cn, Jie Peng; Email: pengjie@zhku.edu.cn
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Abstract

Overnutrition during before and pregnancy can cause maternal obesity and raise the risk of maternal metabolic diseases during pregnancy, and in offspring. Lentinus edodes may prevent or reduce obesity. This study aimed to to assess Lentinus edodes fermented products effects on insulin sensitivity, glucose and lipid metabolism in maternal and offspring, and explore its action mechanism. A model of overnutrition during pregnancy and lactation was developed using a 60 % kcal high-fat diet in C57BL6/J female mice. Fermented Lentinus edodes (FLE) was added to the diet at concentrations of 1 %, 3 %, and 5 %. The results demonstrated that FLE to the gestation diet significantly reduced serum insulin levels and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in pregnant mice. FLE can regulate maternal lipid metabolism and reduce fat deposition. Meanwhile, the hepatic phosphoinositide-3-kinase-protein kinase (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway was significantly activated in the maternal mice. There is a significant negative correlation between maternal FLE supplementation doses and offspring body fat percentage and visceral fat content. Furthermore, FLE supplementation significantly increased offspring weaning litter weight, significantly reduced fasting glucose level, serum insulin level, HOMA-IR and serum glucose level, significantly activated liver PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in offspring, and upregulated the expression of liver lipolytic genes adipose triglyceride lipase, hormone-sensitive lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 mRNA. Overall, FLE supplementation can regulate maternal lipid metabolism and reduce fat deposition during pregnancy and lactation, and it may improve insulin sensitivity in pregnant mothers and offspring at weaning through activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Keywords

Fermented Lentinus edodesInsulin sensitivityPI3K/AKT signaling pathwayPregnancy obesity

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , First View , pp. 1 - 12
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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Footnotes

Ziying Li, Wei Zhang, Menglin Yang contributed equally to this manuscript.

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