Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes) Aqueous Extract Reverses Hypoxia Induced Redox Imbalance and Inflammatory Response in Rat Thymocytes

Inflammatory diseases are associated with immune imbalances and the linkage between immune system and inflammatory mechanisms, particularly under hypoxia, is still incomprehensive. Furthermore, development of a natural agent necessitates, in lack of therapeutics, to prevent thymus receding under hypoxia-induced inflammation. Rat primary thymocytes were exposed to hypoxia (0.5% O2) in the absence or presence of aqueous extract of Ganoderma lucidum. After exposure, redox status and bioenergetic and biochemical variables were evaluated. Hypoxia exposure to thymocytes results in cell growth arreast and death with concurrent surge in reactive oxygen species and decrease in total antioxidant status. Moreover, these hypoxic cells had imbalanced redox homeostasis and bioenergetics with decreased NAD/NADH and increased ADP/ATP ratio. The cells treated with an aqueous extract of G. lucidum rescue cells from death, reverse redox imbalance and changes in bioenergetic markers. Hypoxia exposure enhance pro-inflammatory cytokines; IL6, TNFα, and NFκB in thymocytes which normalizes with the extract treatment. Hypoxic cells displayed higher expression of Nrf2, HIF1α, VEGF in rat thymocytes but downplayed role of erythropeotin. The extract treatment overtakes adverse hypoxia-induced changes on hypoxic markers. Thus, G. lucidum reverses redox imbalance, changes in bio-energetic markers, and displayed strong anti-stress and anti-inflammatory effect.