Effects of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides on chronic pancreatitis and intestinal microbiota in mice

This study manifested the effects of polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum strain S₃ (GLP S₃) on chronic pancreatitis (CP) therapy and intestinal microbiota modulation in mice induced by diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC). The GLPS₃ was prepared from cultured mycelium and markedly alleviated the pancreatitis in mice through decreasing lipase, AMS, IFN-γ and TNF-α level as well as increasing SOD and total antioxidant activity. Furthermore, high throughput sequencing analysis revealed that GLPS₃ altered the composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota, especially, decreased the relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and increased that of phylum Firmictutes. At the genus level, supplementation of GLPS₃ increased the relative abundance of the beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillales, Roseburia and Lachnospiraceae. These results disclosed the potential therapy mechanism of GLPS₃ on chronic pancreatitis might be intestinal microbiota dependent.