Hepatoprotective activity and the mechanisms of action of ganoderma lucidum (curt.: fr) p. Karst (ling zhi, reishi mushroom) (aphyllophoromycetideae)

Herbal medicines are always considered to be a safe and useful approach for the treatment of chronic hepatopathy. Ganoderma luciudm (Curt.:Fr.) P. Karst. [(Ling Zhi, Reishi mushroom) (Aphyllophoromycetideae)], a highly ranked medicinal mushroom in Oriental traditional medicine, has been widely used for the treatment of chronic hepatopathy of various etiologies. Data from in vitro and animal studies indicate that G. lucidum extracts (mainly polysaccharides or triterpenoids) exhibit protective activities against liver injury induced by toxic chemicals (e.g., CCl4) and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). G. lucidum also showed anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity in a duckling study. Recently, a randomized placebo-controlled clinical study showed that treatment with G. lucidum polysaccharides for 12 weeks reduced hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and HBV DNA in 25% (13/52) patients with HBV infection. The mechanisms of the hepatoprotective effects of G. lucidum have been largely undefined. However, accumulating evidence suggests several possible mechanisms. These include antioxidant and radical-scavenging activity, modulation of hepatic Phase I and II enzymes, inhibition of b-glucuronidase, antifibrotic and antiviral activity, modulation of nitric oxide production, maintenance of hepatocellular calcium homeostasis, and immunomodulating effects. G. lucidum could represent a promising approach for the management of various chronic hepatopathies. Further studies are needed to explore the kinetics and mechanisms of action of G. lucidum constituents with hepatoprotective activities.