From Mushrooms to Molecules: Exploring Depsidones in Ganoderma lucidum for Antioxidant and Anticancer Applications

Author: mycolabadmin
9/8/2025
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Summary

This research examined reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), a traditional medicinal fungus, to find rare compounds called depsidones with potential cancer-fighting properties. Scientists extracted these compounds using different solvents and tested them against four types of cancer cells (liver, colon, breast, and lung cancer), finding that they successfully killed cancer cells while being safe to normal cells. Using advanced chemical analysis and computer modeling, they identified nine new depsidone compounds in reishi and showed how these compounds could bind to cancer-related proteins to stop tumor growth.

Background

Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal fungus traditionally used in Asian medicine and contains over 400 secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities. Depsidones are a rare class of bioactive compounds with significant therapeutic potential, but they are seldom reported in mushrooms. This study investigated G. lucidum as a source of depsidones for antioxidant and anticancer applications.

Objective

To characterize the phytochemical composition of different solvent extracts of G. lucidum, identify depsidone metabolites, and evaluate their antioxidant and anticancer potential against multiple cancer cell lines. The study aimed to provide mechanistic insights into the relationship between chemical constituents and bioactivity through molecular docking analysis.

Results

Ethyl acetate extract exhibited the highest phenolic yield and antioxidant potential. Nine minor depsidones were tentatively identified: mollicellin G, simplicildone I, mollicellin B, talaromyone B, simplicildone A, purpactin C, emeguisin B, mollicellin E, and simplicildone D. Molecular docking revealed strong binding affinities between these compounds and cancer targets (AKT1, CDK2, ERK1, TNFα), with simplicildone D and mollicellin G showing particularly high interactions and minimal toxicity to normal Vero cells.

Conclusion

G. lucidum is a promising source of therapeutic depsidones for anticancer drug development, with ethyl acetate extraction providing optimal bioactive compound recovery. The identified depsidones demonstrate strong potential anticancer mechanisms through multiple molecular pathways, supporting further investigation for pharmaceutical applications. These findings validate traditional medicinal use and establish G. lucidum as a valuable resource for natural product-based anticancer therapeutics.

Published in:Molecules,
Study Type:Experimental Study,
Source: PMID: 40942174, DOI: 10.3390/molecules30173650