Cachexia is a lethal muscle-wasting syndrome associated with cancer and chemotherapy use. Mounting evidence suggests a correlation between cachexia and intestinal microbiota, but there is presently no effective treatment for cachexia. Whether the Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide Liz-H exerts protective effects on cachexia and gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by the combination cisplatin plus docetaxel (cisplatin + docetaxel) was investigated. C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with cisplatin + docetaxel, 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 was also performed to investigate changes to gut microbial ecology. Liz-H administration alleviated the cisplatin + docetaxel-induced weight loss, muscle atrophy, and neutropenia. Furthermore, upregulation of muscle protein degradation-related genes (MuRF-1 and Atrogin-1) and decline of myogenic factors (MyoD and myogenin) after treatment of cisplatin and docetaxel were prevented by Liz-H. Cisplatin and docetaxel treatment resulted in reducing comparative abundances of Ruminococcaceae and Bacteroides, but Liz-H treatment restored these to normal levels. This study indicates that Liz-H is a good chemoprotective reagent for cisplatin + docetaxel-induced cachexia. IMPORTANCE Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome driven by metabolic dysregulation, anorexia, systemic inflammation, and insulin resistance. Approximately 80% of patients with advanced cancer have cachexia, and cachexia is the cause of death in 30% of cancer patients. Nutritional supplementation has not been shown to reverse cachexia progression. Thus, developing strategies to prevent and/or reverse cachexia is urgent. Polysaccharide is a major biologically active compound in the fungus Ganoderma lucidum. This study is the first to report that G. lucidum polysaccharides could alleviate chemotherapy-induced cachexia via reducing expression of genes that are known to drive muscle wasting, such as MuRF-1 and Atrogin-1. These results suggest that Liz-H is an effective treatment for cisplatin + docetaxel-induced cachexia.
Keywords: Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide; cachexia; chemotherapy; microbiota; side effect.