Effects of polysaccharide from mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum on intestinal barrier functions of rats

Mingliang Jin, Yimin Zhu, Dongyan Shao, Ke Zhao, Chunlan Xu, Qi Li, Hui Yang, Qingsheng Huang, Junling Shi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

123 Scopus citations

Abstract

The intestinal mucosal barriers play essential roles not only in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, but also the innate defense against most intestinal pathogens. In the present study, polysaccharide from the mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum was given via oral administration to rats (100 mg/kg body weight, 21 days) to investigate its effects on intestinal barrier functions, including the mechanical barrier, immunological barrier and biological barrier function. It was found that the polysaccharide administration could significantly up-regulate the expression of occludin, nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in ileum, markedly improve the levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and IL-4, and decrease the level of diamine oxidase (DAO) in serum. Meanwhile, rats from the polysaccharide group showed significant higher microbiota richness in cecum as reflected by the Chao 1 index compared with the control group. Moreover, the polysaccharide decreased the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio. Our results indicated that the polysaccharide from the mycelia of G. lucidum might be used as functional agent to regulate the intestinal barrier functions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalInternational Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Volume94
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2017

Keywords

  • Ganoderma lucidum
  • Intestinal barrier function
  • Polysaccharide

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