Metabolomics-Based Elucidation of the Lipid-Lowering Mechanisms of Monascus Vinegar Polysaccharides

Monascus vinegar (MV) is a functional food containing various bioactive components, which has attracted significant research attention due to the unique health benefits conferred by these active functional ingredients. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which Monascus vinegar polysaccharides (MVPs) prevent hyperlipidemia. We established a hyperlipidemia mouse model using a high-fat diet (HFD) and conducted an 8-week intervention experiment. Results showed that MVP significantly reduced serum and liver lipid levels in mice, increased the activity of liver antioxidant enzymes, and downregulated the expression of serum proinflammatory cytokines. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining revealed that MVP significantly improved liver histopathological abnormalities. Enrichment analysis of key differential metabolites identified four potential metabolic pathways and mapped them to the MVP and model groups. The analysis revealed the involvement of pathways related to arachidonic acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, alanine–aspartate–glutamate metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. After MVP intervention, key metabolites within these pathways were significantly improved. MVP may influence lipid metabolism through modulation of these pathways. This study provides theoretical support for the application and development of MVP in the functional food sector.