The broken <i>Ganoderma Lucidum</i> spore powder cultivated on <i>Quercus Glauca Thunb.</i> segment wood improves colitis in mice by regulating gut microbiota and inhibiting NLRP3 activation

In this study, the effects of broken Ganoderma lucidum spore powder (GLSP) cultivated on Quercus glauca Thunb. segment wood on ulcerative colitis (UC) were examined in a murine model. Body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, serum nitric oxide (NO), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), colonic inflammatory markers, histopathological changes, NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) expression, and gut microbiota diversity were assessed. Relative to the UC group, GLSP administration attenuated body weight loss, markedly decreased DAI scores, and restored colon length (p < 0.05). Inflammatory cell infiltration was mitigated, and goblet cell abundance was increased (p < 0.05). The serum NO and NGAL concentrations were elevated, whereas the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, and interferon-γ were reduced, accompanied by a significant increase in IL-4 levels (p < 0.05) in the colonic tissue. The protein expression of NLRP3 and ASC was suppressed (p < 0.05), and Lachnospiraceae NK4A136_group was identified as the dominant gut microbiota genus. Broken GLSP was shown to regulate inflammatory mediators and suppress NLRP3 expression through modulation of the gut microbiome.