Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)Sep 3, 2026

Mushroom sugars may ease high-fat diet memory problems by changing gut bacteria and brain communication

Gut-Brain Axis Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Sep 4, 2026

Abstract

Agaricus bisporus polysaccharide (ABP) supplementation alleviated anxiety-like behavior and cognitive deficits in high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice.

ABP supplementation is associated with enhanced hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
There is a reduction in inflammatory responses linked to ABP treatment.
Levels of Bdnf and plasticity-related genes are elevated following ABP supplementation.
HFD-induced morphological changes in microglia and inflammatory factor mRNA levels are reduced with ABP.
ABP remodels the gut microbiome, significantly enriching beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia and Bacteroides.
Production of short-chain fatty acids, primarily acetate and propionate, is enhanced by ABP.

Simplified

This study aimed to explore the protective effect of Agaricus bisporus polysaccharide (ABP) against high-fat diet (HFD) induced cognitive impairment (CI), with a particular focus on gut-brain communication. ABP supplementation alleviated anxiety-like behavior and cognitive deficits in HFD-fed mice. These effects were associated with enhanced hippocampal synaptic plasticity and attenuated inflammatory responses, which were accompanied by the elevation of Bdnf levels and the upregulated expression of plasticity-related genes (e.g., Gria2, Grin2b, Tdp2, and Fxr1). Crucially, ABP supplementation was associated with alleviated HFD-induced morphological changes in microglia and reduced inflammatory factor mRNA levels (Tnf, Il1b). Meanwhile, ABP remodeled the gut microbiome, significantly enriching beneficial taxa including Akkermansia and Bacteroides and enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), mainly acetate and propionate. These findings suggest that ABP may serve as a promising nutritional component for alleviating diet-related CI with effect associated with modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

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Mushroom sugars may ease high-fat diet memory problems by changing gut bacteria and brain communication

Abstract

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