Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 1-11 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 4 (Tong et al., 2019; Guo et al., 2021). Moreover, broken-spore polysaccharides fromGanoderma lucidum have been shown to effectively inhibit obesity, inflammation, and fat accumulation induced by a high-fat diet by modulating the gut microbiota and improving gut barrier function (Sang et al., 2021). 4 Interaction BetweenG. lucidumPolysaccharides and Gut Microbiota 4.1 Modulation of gut microbiota by G. lucidumpolysaccharides Ganoderma lucidumpolysaccharides (GLPs) have been shown to significantly modulate the composition of gut microbiota. Studies have demonstrated that GLPs can restore the balance of gut microbiota in various disease models. For instance, GLPs were found to reduce the abundance of harmful bacteria such as Aerococcus, Ruminococcus, Corynebacterium, and Proteus, while increasing beneficial bacteria like Blautia, Dehalobacterium, Parabacteroides, and Bacteroides in type 2 diabetic rats (Chen et al., 2019). A study on rats fed a high-fat diet revealed that GLPs can alleviate lipid metabolism disorders and impaired gut barrier function caused by the high-fat diet by modulating the gut microbiota, such as increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria like Prevotella (Tong et al., 2019). In a colon cancer model, GLPs significantly improved symptoms of colitis and colon cancer by reducing the expression of inflammatory factors and modulating the gut microbiota, such as decreasing cancer-associated bacteria like Oscillospira. These findings highlight the potential of GLPs in cancer prevention and treatment (Luo et al., 2018). The results suggest that GLPs may serve as potential prebiotics, promoting the growth of beneficial gut microbes while inhibiting harmful bacteria. 4.2 Mechanisms of interaction at molecular level The interaction between GLPs and gut microbiota involves several molecular mechanisms. GLPs have been shown to influence the gut microbiota through their structural characteristics, such as molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and glycosidic bonds (Li et al., 2019; Lu et al., 2020). These structural features determine the physicochemical properties and biological activities of GLPs, which in turn affect their interaction with gut microbiota. For example, GLPs can bind to receptors on immune cells, such as dectin-1 on macrophages, monocytes, dendritic cells, and neutrophils, leading to the activation of signaling pathways like MAPKs and NF-κB, which are involved in cytokine production and immune response (Ahmad et al., 2021). The results indicate that GLPs can enhance the activity of T cells and macrophages, increasing the production of important cytokines such as IL-2 and TNF-α, thereby boosting the overall immune response (Figure 1). Furthermore, GLPs have been shown to modulate the gut microbiota by enhancing gut barrier function, increasing the number of goblet cells, and promoting the secretion of mucins and tight junction proteins (Guo et al., 2021). 4.3 Influence on microbial metabolites GLPs not only modulate the composition of gut microbiota but also influence the production of microbial metabolites. For instance, GLPs have been reported to increase the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are beneficial metabolites produced by gut bacteria through the fermentation of dietary fibers (Guo et al., 2021). SCFAs play a crucial role in maintaining gut health by providing energy to colonocytes, regulating immune responses, and protecting against inflammation and tumorigenesis. GLPs have been shown to restore disturbed amino acid, carbohydrate, and nucleic acid metabolism in the gut microbiota of type 2 diabetic rats, indicating their potential to normalize metabolic functions (Chen et al., 2019). Moreover, GLPs have been found to regulate the levels of key metabolites such as dopamine, prolyl-glutamine, and L-threonine, which are associated with immune enhancement and overall health (Wu et al., 2020). These findings highlight the significant impact of GLPs on microbial metabolites and their potential therapeutic benefits.
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