PONE-D-19-33795

Polysaccharides isolated from Cordyceps Sinensis contribute to the progression of NASH by modifying the gut microbiota in mice fed a high fat diet

PLOS ONE

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PLOS ONE

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A small number of minor revisions to the test are requested by both reviewers.

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Reviewers' comments:

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Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: 1. Can be edited to be briefer

2. Did the two groups of mice have comparable or identical caloric intake of the chow?

3. Perhaps some more background in the introduction about why this was chosen to be studied in particular? Is it the most common ingredient in Chinese herbal products?

Reviewer #2: Given the limited effectiveness of available non-invasive treatments for obesity, there is a need to develop new therapeutic strategies. The authors of this study assessed the anti-obesity potential of polysaccharides isolated from Cordyceps Sinensis in the animal model (C57BL/6J mice on a high-fat diet). Surprisingly, they found that despite the favorable influence on body mass, adipose tissue amount, and morphology, these polysaccharides had a detrimental effect on the liver leading to NASH.

The authors attempted to explain the pathomechanism responsible for the observed phenomenon. Therefore, they investigated the intestinal barrier function and the composition of intestinal microflora in animals exposed to the tested compounds. They found that treatment with the polysaccharides isolated from Cordyceps Sinensis leads to adverse changes in the composition of the intestinal microflora and increased intestinal barrier permeability, which may be responsible for the development of the liver damage.

The presented work is an example of a complex approach to the research task, and both the research hypothesis and the findings are innovative. The study objectives are clearly defined, and the methodology is appropriately selected to implement that planned research tasks. With this in mind, I found the present paper valuable, and I have only some minor remarks/suggestions that are summarized in the attachment.

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Reviewer #1: Yes: Vinod Kumar Rustgi

Reviewer #2: No

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Attachments

Attachment

Submitted filename: PONE-D-19-33795.edited.docx

Polysaccharides isolated from Cordyceps Sinensis contribute to the progression of NASH by modifying the gut microbiota in mice fed a high fat diet

PONE-D-19-33795R1

Dear Dr. Zhong,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it complies with all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you will receive an e-mail containing information on the amendments required prior to publication. When all required modifications have been addressed, you will receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will proceed to our production department and be scheduled for publication.

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With kind regards,

Jonathan M Peterson, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

All request revisions were completed and reviewer comments were addressed accordingly.

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #2: The authors have significantly improved the manuscript and clarified my doubts. Therefore, I find the paper suitable for publication in a present form.

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #2: Yes: Alina Kurylowicz