The mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst has been a
traditional Chinese medicine for millennia. In this study, we isolated the Ganoderma lucidum spore oil (GLSO) and evaluated the effect of GLSO on skin
burn wound healing and the underlying mechanisms. Mice were used to perform skin wound healing assay.
Wound analysis was performed by photography,
hematoxylin/
eosin staining, Masson's Trichrome staining and immunohistochemical analysis. Microbiota on the
wounds were analyzed using the
16s rRNA sequence and quantitative statistics. The
lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content was examined in skin
wounds and serum using an
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and the relative levels of inflammatory
cytokines were determined by qPCR and immunofluorescence assay. A pseudo-germfree mouse model treated with
antibiotics was used to investigate whether GLSO accelerated skin
burn wound healing through the skin microbiota. We found that GLSO significantly accelerated the process of skin wound healing and regulated the levels of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore, GLSO reduced LPS and TLR4, and levels of some other related inflammatory
cytokines. The assay with the pseudo-germfree mice model showed that GLSO had a significant acceleration on skin wound healing in comparison with
antibiotic treatment. Thus, GLSO downregulated the
inflammation by regulating skin microbiota to accelerate skin wound healing. These findings provide a scientific rationale for the potential
therapeutic use of GLSO in skin
burn injury.