Fu Ling (Wolfiporia cocos) Fungal β-Glucan in Combination with Bacillus coagulans Improve Colitis-Related Outcomes and Cecal Fermentation in DSS-Treated Mice
- 1The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease challenges modern gastroenterology due to high relapse rates. This study evaluated the effects of medicinal fungal sclerotium Fu Ling (Wolfiporia cocos), its derived {beta}-1,3-1,6-Glucan, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086, and their combinations in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in male BALB/c mice. The {beta}-glucan-B. coagulans combination significantly improved body weight, disease activity index, colon length and architecture, mucus secretion, and cecal fermentation over single ingredient. Consistently, this combination increased total short-chain fatty acids production, particularly acetate, improved gut tight-junction organization and reduced myeloperoxidase accumulation. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing indicated that this combination reshaped the gut microbiota, notably enriching Anaeromassilibacillus sp., which associated with improved clinical feature. These findings highlight the potential of fungal-derived {beta}-glucan and probiotic combinations as functional food ingredients for mitigating intestinal inflammation and supporting barrier repair.
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BibTeX
@misc{ma2026ling,
title = {{Fu Ling (Wolfiporia cocos) Fungal β-Glucan in Combination with Bacillus coagulans Improve Colitis-Related Outcomes and Cecal Fermentation in DSS-Treated Mice}},
author = {K. L. Ma and N. Kei and S. S. Chan and H. S. Kwan and P. C. K. Cheung},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.07.757334},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757334v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Fu Ling (Wolfiporia cocos) Fungal β-Glucan in Combination with Bacillus coagulans Improve Colitis-Related Outcomes and Cecal Fermentation in DSS-Treated Mice
AU - K. L. Ma
AU - N. Kei
AU - S. S. Chan
AU - H. S. Kwan
AU - P. C. K. Cheung
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.07.757334
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757334v1
AB - Inflammatory bowel disease challenges modern gastroenterology due to high relapse rates. This study evaluated the effects of medicinal fungal sclerotium Fu Ling (Wolfiporia cocos), its derived {beta}-1,3-1,6-Glucan, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086, and their combinations in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in male BALB/c mice. The {beta}-glucan-B. coagulans combination significantly improved body weight, disease activity index, colon length and architecture, mucus secretion, and cecal fermentation over single ingredient. Consistently, this combination increased total short-chain fatty acids production, particularly acetate, improved gut tight-junction organization and reduced myeloperoxidase accumulation. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing indicated that this combination reshaped the gut microbiota, notably enriching Anaeromassilibacillus sp., which associated with improved clinical feature. These findings highlight the potential of fungal-derived {beta}-glucan and probiotic combinations as functional food ingredients for mitigating intestinal inflammation and supporting barrier repair.
ER -