Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antitumor, Antifungal, Antiviral, Anti-inflammatory, and Nevro-protective Activity of Ganoderma lucidum: An Overview
- Author: mycolabadmin
- 2022-07-22
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Summary
Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom that has been used in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years. Modern research has confirmed it contains powerful compounds that can boost immunity and fight various diseases. The mushroom works through multiple mechanisms to provide health benefits including fighting cancer cells, reducing inflammation, and protecting against viruses and bacteria.
Impacts on everyday life:
– Can be taken as a supplement to boost the immune system naturally
– May help protect against various viral infections including flu and COVID-19
– Shows promise as a complementary treatment for cancer patients
– Could potentially help prevent or slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease
– Provides natural antioxidant protection against cellular damage and aging
Background
Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom that has been utilized in Oriental medicine for many years. It contains various biologically active compounds that improve the immune system and has been used as a health promoter for over 2,400 years. The substances found in the mushroom include triterpenoids, polysaccharides, nucleotides, sterols, steroids, fatty acids and proteins/peptides.
Objective
This review aims to summarize the antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activities of compounds isolated from Ganoderma lucidum, with a focus on two main groups of chemicals: triterpenoids and polysaccharides.
Results
The review found that G. lucidum contains numerous bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties. Ganoderic acids showed cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines. Polysaccharides demonstrated immunomodulatory and antitumor activities. The mushroom extracts exhibited antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects through multiple mechanisms. The properties of polysaccharides were found to relate to molecular weight, branching degree, and water solubility.
Conclusion
G. lucidum extracts contain valuable bioactive compounds with multiple therapeutic properties. While studies show promising results for various medical applications, further research is needed to fully understand the biomechanisms and therapeutic potential. More clinical trials are required to evaluate specific components and determine exact dosages. The mushroom shows particular promise as an antiviral and immunomodulatory agent, including potential applications for SARS-CoV-2.
- Published in:Frontiers in Pharmacology,
- Study Type:Review,
- Source: 10.3389/fphar.2022.934982