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The Role of Wolfiporia cocos (F. A. Wolf) Ryvarden and Gilb. Polysaccharides in Regulating the Gut Microbiota and Its Health Benefits

Summary

Wolfiporia cocos, a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years, contains polysaccharides that act as prebiotics to improve gut health. These polysaccharides promote the growth of beneficial bacteria while inhibiting harmful ones, increase production of healthy metabolites, and strengthen the intestinal barrier. By improving gut microbiota composition, these polysaccharides can help prevent and treat various diseases including obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory conditions.

Background

Wolfiporia cocos is a widely used fungus in traditional Chinese medicine containing bioactive polysaccharides that account for 70-90% of its mass. These polysaccharides have demonstrated anti-obesity, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities. Recent research has focused on understanding how polysaccharides regulate gut microbiota composition and metabolic activities to promote health.

Objective

This review systematically examines how Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides regulate gut microbiota composition and function to exert health-promoting effects. The study aims to clarify the mechanisms by which polysaccharides modulate the intestinal microecological structure and associated metabolites to ameliorate various diseases.

Results

The review demonstrates that polysaccharides regulate gut microbiota by promoting beneficial bacteria growth, inhibiting pathogenic bacteria, and increasing short-chain fatty acid production. These polysaccharides modulate flora-associated metabolites including tryptophan and bile acids, and activate signaling pathways such as TLR4/NF-κB to exert anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and immunomodulatory effects.

Conclusion

Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides function as prebiotics that promote intestinal health through multifaceted mechanisms including microbiota composition changes, metabolite regulation, and barrier function enhancement. Further research is warranted to develop these polysaccharides into functional food and pharmaceutical products for disease prevention and treatment.
  • Published in:Molecules,
  • Study Type:Systematic Review,
  • Source: PMID: 40141970, DOI: 10.3390/molecules30061193
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