Polysaccharide of Ganoderma lucidum ameliorates docetaxel and cisplatin induced cachectic myopathy in mice

Abstract:Mounting evidence pointed out a strong correlation between cachexia and intestinal microbiota. No effective treatment is available for cachexia at present. Whether Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide, Liz-H, exerts protective effects on docetaxel + cisplatin-induced cachexia and gut microbiota dysbiosis was investigated. C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with docetaxel + cisplatin, with or without oral administration of Liz-H. Body weight, food consumption, complete blood count, blood biochemistry and muscle atrophy were measured. Next-generation sequencing technologies were also performed to investigate the gut microbial ecology. Liz-H administration could alleviate the docetaxel- and cisplatin-induced weight loss, muscle atrophy, neutropenia, and hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, upregulation of muscle protein degradation related proteins (MuRF-1 and Atrogin-1) and decline of myogenic factors (MyoD and Myogenin) after treatment of cisplatin and docetaxel were prevented by Liz-H. Docetaxel and cisplatin treatment resulted in reducing comparative abundances of Ruminococacea and Bacteroides and restoring to normal level by Liz-H treatment. This study indicated that Liz-H is a good chemoprotective reagent for cisplatin- and docetaxel-induced adverse side effects.