Abstract: AIM: To observe the protective effects of ganoderan on methotrexate (MTX) -induced intestinal damage in BALB/C mice. METHODS: The mouse model of intestinal damage was established by intraperitoneal injection of MTX once daily for two consecutive days, and this was to simulate clinical chemotherapyinduced intestinal injury.Intragastric administration of ganoderan was executed for 7 days before MTX injection, and the animals were sacrificed in 3 days after the last injection.The morphological and ultrastructural changes were observed to the jejunum segments by HE staining and electron microscope.The level of malondialdehyde(MDA) and the activity of total superoxide dismutase(T-SOD) were detected in intestinal homogenate supernatant. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, the intestinal villus in the MTX group became shorter and fused, and the crypt cells were disappeared, the goblet cells were decreased.Ultrastructure showed that microvilli were irregularly arranged, variable short, and some were missing, and the nuclear membrane and mitochondria swelling.Morphological changes in the ganoderan group were smaller than those in MTX group.The T-SOD activity was decreased and the level of MDA was increased in MTX group, but the T-SOD activity was increased and the level of MDA was decreased in ganoderan group. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that ganoderan can protect the small intestine of mice from the MTX-induced damage.

Key words: ganoderan, MTX, MDA, SOD