Efeitos da suplementação de extrato comercial de cogumelo do sol (Agaricus blazei Murril) no tratamento da obesidade e da doença hepática esteatótica associada à disfunção metabólica em camundongos.

Abstract

Obesity is a global epidemic associated with the development of various diseases, including Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). Currently, there are few effective drugs for treating obesity and its comorbidities. Therefore, the search for new substances with potential therapeutic effects is extremely important to address this condition. Studies indicate that some edible mushrooms may have potential effects for obesity treatment, but their use is based on traditional beliefs rather than scientific evidence. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Sun Mushroom (Agaricus blazei Murrill - ABM) consumption on biochemical, histopathological and physiological parameters related to obesity and MASLD in obese mice. Twenty-seven male C57Bl/6 mice (approximately 60 days old) were fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks to induce obesity and MASLD. After this period, they were divided into three experimental groups: 1) OB-CTL group, which did not receive ABM (n=7); 2) OB-ABM1 group, which received 10% ABM extract (n=11); and 3) OB-ABM2 group, which received 5% ABM extract (n=9). The extracts were administered daily by gavage to OB-ABM1 and OB-ABM2 groups, while OB-CTL received water, for 12 weeks, with HFD maintained throughout the experimental period. At the end of the experiment, animals were euthanized and tissues collected for analysis. Obesity degree, hepatic steatosis, plasma lipids, glucose and insulin concentrations were evaluated. The significance level was set at P < 0.05 and analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism version 9.00 for Windows. ABM supplementation at both concentrations did not alter weight gain, final body weight, food intake or feed efficiency. Although glycemic curves were similar among groups, the OB-ABM1 group showed reduced area under the curve in the glucose tolerance test (p=0.0318) compared to OB-CTL. The glucose decay constant was not altered. Fat depot weight and body composition (fat mass and lean mass) were similar among groups. Analysis of hepatic parameters showed that ABM at both concentrations effectively reduced hepatic cholesterol content in both OB-ABM1 (p=0.0291) and OB-ABM2 (p=0.0180) groups compared to OB-CTL, although it exacerbated hepatic steatosis. Current results suggest that ABM does not influence feeding patterns or weight gain, shows better capacity to reduce glycemia over time at 10% concentration without altering insulin-induced glucose removal capacity, does not change visceral fat distribution or accumulation, does not impact plasma triglyceride and cholesterol levels, does not influence hepatic triglyceride levels, shows significant reduction in hepatic cholesterol at 5% and 10% concentrations, and promotes greater severity of macrovesicular and microvesicular hepatic steatosis. These findings indicate that ABM may have specific therapeutic effects but raise questions about its hepatic impact.