Mushroom Polysaccharides Show Promise for Gut Healing in Fish

Researchers studied a special mushroom called Naematelia aurantialba and pulled out its sugar molecules. They wanted to see if these polysaccharides could help treat ulcerative colitis in a fish model. The goal was to learn about their size and biological activity.

The polysaccharides weigh about 37.6 thousand daltons on average. Their makeup is dominated by mannose, which makes up about 68.8% of the sugar mix. Xylose accounts for roughly 13.9% and glucuronic acid for 13.0%. A small fraction, around 2.6%, is glucose.

When zebrafish received the mushroom polysaccharides, the lining of their intestines showed less injury. The number of immune cells gathering in the gut dropped noticeably. The inflammatory markers IL‑1β and TNF‑α were expressed at lower levels. At the same time, the anti‑inflammatory cytokine IL‑10 rose.

The sugars also lowered reactive oxygen species and reduced oxidative damage in the fish bodies. Activity of the protective enzymes SOD and CAT went up, showing stronger antioxidant defense. These effects line up with changes in the NF‑kB and NLRP3 pathways, which control inflammation. Overall, the mushroom sugars show promise for improving intestinal health.