Abstract

Pleurotus citrinopileatus polysaccharide (PCFP) demonstrates anti-glioma potential. We found that PCFP significantly inhibited the survival rate of glioma cells as determined by MTT assay. Additionally, 100 mg/kg PCFP significantly inhibited the growth of U251 tumors in nude mice xenograft models, with a tumor inhibition rate of 61.41%; no significant toxicity was observed in organs such as the liver, spleen, or heart. Mechanistically, PCFP upregulated E-cadherin and Cleaved Caspase 3 while downregulating N-cadherin and Bcl-2, and inducing apoptosis. PCFP also suppressed the protein expression of CHI3L1 and regulated the JAK1/STAT1 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Additionally, PCFP administration improved intestinal microbiota imbalance, increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria while concomitantly reducing that of harmful ones in tumor-bearing mice. In summary, our results indicated that PCFP has the potential for development as a novel anti-glioma drug that acts by targeting the CHI3L1/JAK1/STAT1/NF-κB pathway and ameliorating glioma-induced intestinal dysbiosis.