Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 1-11 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 6 Figure 2 Schematic showing the role of GLP in modulating the intestinal microbiota and its relationship with inflammation and tumorigenesis in AOM/DSS mice (Adopted from Guo et al., 2021) Image caption: The figure reveals the mechanism by which GLP modulates the structure of the gut microbiota, increases the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and improves intestinal barrier function, thereby inhibiting inflammation and tumorigenesis. GLP suppresses the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and MAPK (ERK and JNK) signaling pathways, reducing macrophage infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, ultimately lowering the risk of colitis and tumor formation (Adapted from Guo et al., 2021) 5.2 Study on the immunomodulatory effects of sporoderm-brokenG. lucidumspore polysaccharides G. lucidum spores are the reproductive cells of the fungus, and their outer walls are relatively hard, usually requiring sporoderm-breaking treatment to extract the active components. Both G. lucidumpolysaccharides and G. lucidumspore polysaccharides are polysaccharides in chemical structure, but due to differences in their extraction sources, their molecular weight, glycan chain structure, and accompanying bioactive compounds may differ, leading to variations in their biological activities (Wu et al., 2020). Crude polysaccharides and refined polysaccharides from G. lucidum spores (CPGS and RPGS) are specific types of G. lucidum spore polysaccharides, belonging to the G. lucidum(GLPs) family. They differ from traditional GLPs in terms of source, composition, and bioactivity. After sporoderm-breaking, the polysaccharide components of G. lucidum spores exhibit higher bioavailability (Sang et al., 2021; Su et al., 2021). Compared to GLPs, CPGS and RPGS have distinct advantages in immune regulation and gut microbiota modulation, especially RPGS, which, due to its higher purity, demonstrates stronger immunostimulatory effects (Su et al., 2021). The study by Su et al. (2021) evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of CPGS and RPGS on the immune system in mice. The results showed that CPGS significantly enhanced the tumor-killing ability of natural killer cells, while RPGS notably increased the proportion of T cells and their subsets in peripheral blood and promoted T cell activation. Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis of the gut microbiota revealed that CPGS and RPGS reshaped the gut microbiome, enriching polysaccharide-metabolizing bacteria such as Adlercreutzia and Prevotella, which were closely related to T cell activity. The findings indicate that G. lucidum spore polysaccharides can significantly enhance the function of the adaptive immune system by regulating the gut microbiota and immune cell activity, further supporting their potential application in promoting health.
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