1. 17666849 Chem. Pharm. Bull. (2007) Genes: DBL

• In the present study, the antioxidant activity of hot water extract (decoction) of Chaga was precisely compared with those of other medicinal fungi (Agaricus blazei Mycelia, Ganoderma lucidum and Phellinus linteus) showing Chaga had the strongest antioxidant activity among fungi examined in terms of both superoxide and hydroxyl radicals scavenging activities.

2. 16614703 Exp Oncol. (2006) Genes: GLE-1

• AIM: Ganoderma lucidum is a commonly used Chinese herb and an important ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine herbal formulations for immune dysfunction related illnesses.
• In this study, we investigated the effects of Ganoderma lucidum extract using SW 480 human colorectal cancer cell line.
• MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two different fractions of Ganoderma lucidum extract, i.e., a fraction containing mainly polysaccharides (GLE-1), and a triterpenoid fraction without polysaccharides (GLE-2) were analyzed.
• Scavenging effects of DPPH radical were assessed using ESR-spectroscopy.
• CONCLUSION: Ganoderma lucidum extract inhibits proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells and possesses antioxidant properties.

3. 16552805 World J Gastroenterol. (2006) Genes: TNF TNF-alpha SOD alanine aminotransferase

• AIM: To investigate the possible mechanism of the protective effects of a bioactive fraction,Ganoderma lucidum proteoglycan (GLPG) isolated from Ganoderma lucidum mycelia, against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury.
• The possible anti-hepatotoxic mechanisms may be related to the suppression of TNF-alpha level and the free radical scavenging activity.

4. 16482628 World J Gastroenterol. (2006) Genes: MAT1 MAT1A MAT2A TGF-beta1 albumin

• AIM: To investigate the effects of Reishi mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE), on liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats.
• CONCLUSION: Oral administration of GLE significantly reduces CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats, probably by exerting a protective effect against hepatocellular necrosis by its free-radical scavenging ability.

5. 16434408 Nephrol Dial Transplant. (2006) Genes: IL-8 albumin Interleukin-8

• BACKGROUND: Ganoderma lucidum (Ganoderma or lingzhi) is widely used as an alternative medicine remedy to promote health and longevity.
• Recent studies have indicated that components extracted from Ganoderma have a wide range of pharmacological actions including suppressing inflammation and scavenging free radicals.

6. 15742340 Phytother Res. (2004)

• The hot water extract of the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum was shown to have antioxidative effect against heart toxicity.
• Investigations into the mechanisms of action, level of lipid peroxidation level in vivo, and superoxide scavenging activity were also conducted.
• Ganoderma lucidum, at doses of 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg (p.o.) was administered.
• The results of this study showed that Ganoderma lucidum exhibited a dose-dependent antioxidative effect on lipid peroxidation and superoxide scavenging activity in mouse heart homogenate.
• Additionally, this result indicated that heart damage induced by ethanol shows a higher malonic dialdehyde level compared with heart homogenate treated with Ganoderma lucidum.
• It is concluded that the antioxidative activity may therefore contribute to the cardioprotective effect of Ganoderma lucidum, and may therefore protect the heart from superoxide induced damage.

7. 15479035 J Agric Food Chem. (2004)

• The present study investigates the antioxidant activities of peptides isolated from the medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum.
• G. lucidum has been shown to possess potent antioxidant activity with little or no side effects.
• Polysaccharide, polysaccharide-peptide complex, and phenolic components of G. lucidum have been proposed to be responsible for this antioxidant effect.
• However, research has shown that the G. lucidum peptide (GLP) is the major antioxidant component of G. lucidum.
• GLP showed scavenging activity toward hydroxyl radicals produced in a deoxyribose system with an IC50 value of 25 microg/mL, and GLP effectively quenched superoxide radical anion produced by pyrogallol autoxidation in a dose-dependent manner.
• On the basis of these results, it is concluded that GLP is the major constituent responsible for the antioxidant activity of G. lucidum.
• GLP could play an important role in the inhibition of lipid peroxidation in biological systems through its antioxidant, metal chelating, and free radical scavenging activities.

8. 12941433 Life Sci. (2003) Genes: insulin NF-kappa B

• This study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect against alloxan-induced pancreatic islets damage by Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides (Gl-PS) isolated from the fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss.
• Alloxan (60 mg/kg) induced NF-kappa B activation in the pancreas at 30 min after injection, pretreatment with Gl-PS inhibited alloxan-induced activation of NF-kappa B. These results suggest that Gl-PS was useful in protecting against alloxan-induced pancreatic islets damage in vitro and in vivo; one of the mechanisms is through its scavenging ability to protect the pancreatic islets from free radicals-damage induced by alloxan.

9. 12358482 J Agric Food Chem. (2002)

• Three species of medicinal mushrooms are commercially available in Taiwan, namely, Ganoderma lucidum (Ling-chih), Ganoderma tsugae (Sung-shan-ling-chih), and Coriolus versicolor (Yun-chih).
• At 0.6 mg/mL, G. lucidum, G. lucidum antler, and G. tsugae showed an excellent antioxidant activity (2.30-6.41% of lipid peroxidation), whereas C. versicolor showed only 58.56%.
• At 4 mg/mL, reducing powers were in the order G. tsugae (2.38) approximately G. lucidum antler (2.28) > G. lucidum (1.62) > C. versicolor (0.79).
• At 0.64 mg/mL, scavenging effects on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical were 67.6-74.4% for Ganoderma and 24.6% for C. versicolor.
• The scavenging effect of methanolic extracts from G. lucidum and G. lucidum antler on hydroxyl radical was the highest (51.2 and 52.6%) at 16 mg/mL, respectively.
• At 2.4 mg/mL, chelating effects on ferrous ion were in the order G. lucidum antler (67.7%) > G. lucidum (55.5%) > G. tsugae (44.8%) > C. versicolor (13.2%).
• Overall, G. lucidum and G. tsugae were higher in antioxidant activity, reducing power, scavenging and chelating abilities, and total phenol content.

10. 12230945 Acta Pharmacol Sin. (2002)

• AIM: To study the protective effects of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides peptide (GLPP) on the mice peritoneal macrophages injured by reactive oxygen species (ROS), derived from tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBOOH) in vitro and in vivo.
• CONCLUSION: GLPP had significant scavenging ROS and antioxidant effects.

11. 11789593 Am J Chin Med. (2001)

• The antioxidative effect of hot water extract of the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum on ethanol-induced free radical generation had been studied.
• In order to further investigate the hepatic and renal protective mechanism of Ganoderma lucidum, rates of lipid peroxidation were determined.
• The hot water extract of Ganoderma lucidum dose-dependently exhibited antioxidative effect on mouse liver and kidney lipid peroxidation; our results indicated that hepatic and renal homogenates have a higher malonic dialdehyde level in an ethanol administered group than in the Ganoderma lucidum treated group.
• It was concluded that the hepatic and renal protective mechanism of Ganoderma lucidum, might be due at least in part to its prominent superoxide scavenging effect.

12. 7564419 J Ethnopharmacol. (1995)

• The free radical scavenging and antihepatotoxic activity from Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma formosanum and Ganoderma neo-japonicum were studied.
• Treatment with the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma formosanum and Ganoderma neo-japonicum caused a marked decrease in the CCl4-induced toxicity in rat liver, made evident by their effect on the levels of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in the serum.
• The scavenging potency of the water extracts of the crude drugs was evaluated in terms of their ability to reduce the peaks of spin adducts using electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping techniques.
• The results indicated that Ganoderma formosanum showed the greatest antihepatotoxic activity and the greatest free radical scavenging activity.