Evidence of bioactivity from Ganoderma Lucidum triterpenoids in cultured cell models

Abstract

Triterpenoids are a structurally diverse class of potential bioactive molecules found in a variety of plants. This review will focus on a medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum which is also known as either lingzhi or reishi mushroom. This mushroom has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. Triterpenoids either isolated or present in extracts of Ganoderma lucidum have multiple reported bioactive effects which include chemoprevention by inducing multiple types of programmed cell death. Ganoderma lucidum can also influence other metabolic states such as reducing inflammatory markers and possess anti-diabetic properties among others and these may have an influence on improving metabolic control. Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom (also known as Ling zhi in Chinese and Reshi in Japanese), is a well-known Chinese traditional medicine that has been used to promote longevity and treat weakness for centuries. Research has centered on Ganoderma lucidum recently due to its multiple pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory [1], anti-tumorigenic [2], anti-herpetic[3], anti-virus [4], anti-ulcerogenic [5], anti-allergic [6], anti-angiogenic [7], anti-diabetic [8], hypoglycimic activity [9], and osteoclastogenesis-regulated effects [10]. Triterpenoids are one of the major classes of potential bioactive compounds in Ganoderma lucidum. Hundreds of triterpenoids from Ganoderma lucidum have been isolated and identified and these triterpenoids are exclusively found in genus Ganoderma [11]. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.