Dietary Antrodia cinnamomea Polysaccharide Intervention Modulates\nClinical Symptoms by Regulating\nOvarian Metabolites and Restructuring the Intestinal Microbiota in\nRats with Letrozole-Induced PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine\nand metabolic\ndisorder. This study investigated the mitigating effects of the Antrodia cinnamomea polysaccharide (ACP) on a letrozole-induced\nPCOS rat model. Results demonstrated that ACP reduced obesity and\nameliorated dyslipidemia in PCOS rats. Moreover, ACP restored estrous\ncycle regularity, suppressed polycystic ovarian changes, and regulated\nserum levels of sex hormones, SOD, and MDA. Furthermore, ACP increased\nthe α-diversity and modulated the abundance of phyla (Bacteroidetes,\nFirmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia) and genera (<i>Lactobacillus,\nHelicobacter, Akkermansia, Oscillospira, Coprococcus, Roseburia, Blautia,</i> and <i>Allobaculum</i>) in the gut microbiota. ACP also\nrestored compromised intestinal barriers by upregulating the expression\nof ZO1, Occludin, Claudin1, and Claudin7 in the colon. ACP mitigated\novarian fibrosis by preventing activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome,\ndecreasing the expression of fibrotic markers (TGF-β1, collagen-I,\nα-SMA, and CTGF), and regulating four ovarian fibrosis-associated\nmetabolomics pathways. Generally, dietary ACP effectively ameliorated\nclinical symptoms and inhibited ovarian fibrosis in PCOS rats.