Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is known to enhance intestinal immunity, with ganoderic acid A (GA-A) identified as one of its active constituents. However, the specific role of GA-A in regulating immune components such as immunoglobulin A (IgA) from Peyer’s patches (PPs) and α-defensin 5 from Paneth cells remains unclear. Additionally, the ability of Reishi to counteract oxidative stress-induced intestinal immune suppression has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the effects of Reishi and GA-A on intestinal immunity in a rat model of ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. Oral administration of GA-A increased IgA secretion from PP cells isolated from rat small intestine and upregulated the mRNA expression of rat α-defensin 5 (RD-5) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the ileum, similar to Reishi. In contrast, GA-A did not exhibit immunostimulatory effects in TLR4-deficient mice. In the I/R rat model, both Reishi and GA-A significantly restored IgA secretion and RD-5 mRNA expression, mitigating immune suppression. They were also associated with changes in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and SOD3 mRNA expression under I/R conditions and prevented villus shedding and Paneth cell loss, indicating protection against I/R-induced intestinal immune decline. These results were comparable to those observed with caffeic acid, the positive control. Overall, these findings suggest that Reishi mitigates intestinal immune suppression caused by I/R injury, with GA-A serving as a key active component mediating these protective effects.
Kubota et al. (Mon,) studied this question.