Effect of Grifola frondosa polysaccharide on immune function and gut microbiota in mice

Abstract

Objective: Grifola frondosa, a medicinal mushroom, is widely used to enhance immunity and treat cancer. Polysaccharides are its primary active components. We aimed to investigate the effects of the alkaloid G. frondosa polysaccharide (GFP) extract on immunity and gut microbiota.
Methods: Alkaloid GFP was extracted using an alkaline extraction method, followed by hollow-fiber microfiltration. The molecular weight of alkaloid GFP was determined by high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC). Monosaccharide composition was analyzed by pre-column derivatization combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Methylation analysis was performed to characterize glycosidic linkages in alkaloid GFP. The immune function of alkaloid GFP was assessed in a cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressive mouse model. Splenic lymphocyte proliferation, macrophage phagocytic capacity, and natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity were evaluated. The effect of alkaloid GFP on gut microbiota was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing.
Results: The molecular weight distribution of alkaloid GFP ranged from 17 to 18 kDa. The alkaloid GFP contained a β-(1→6)-glucan backbone branched at O-3 by β-1,3-D-Glcp. Oral administration of alkaloid GFP mitigated the effects of CTX on spleen index, splenic lymphocyte proliferation, and peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis. Additionally, alkaloid GFP improved the gut microbiota composition of immunosuppressed mice, increasing the relative abundances of Ligilactobacillus and Lactobacillus.
Conclusions: Alkaloid GFP demonstrated immune-enhancing effects and gut microbiota regulatory activity, providing a basis for developing related health food ingredients.

Keywords

Grifola frondosa / Gut microbiota / Immune activity / Polysaccharide

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

This study was jointly supported by Infinitus Co., Ltd (2019009) and the Scientific and Technologic Foundation of Jilin Province (No. 20230202050NC).

Author contributions

Linlin Ma and Xiaoliang Lin participated in the research design. Linlin Ma and Hairong Cheng participated in the writing of the paper. Ming Liang, Jieyi Long and Xian Qu participated in the performance of the research. Xiaoliang Lin, Yifa Zhou, and Hairong Cheng contributed new reagents or analytic tools. Yi Yu and Linlin Ma participated in the data analysis.

Ethical approval of studies and informed consent

Animal experiments followed NIH guidelines (Pub. no. 8523, revised 1996) and were approved by the Science and Technology Ethics Committee of Northeast Normal University (202502003).

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Lin Sun, Chengcheng Song, Li Ji, and Mengshan Zhang for their technical support of this project.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the need for patenting but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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