GANODERMA LUCIDUM SPORES: A TREASURE-CHEST OF THERAPEUTICALLY USEFUL BIOACTIVECOMPOUNDS

摘要

Mushrooms have a long history of medicinal application in folk medicine. Ganoderma lucidum, a polypore mushroom commonly known as Reishi or Ling Zhi, is the most valued among the medicinal mushrooms used to prevent/ cure various human ailments in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Many bioactive compounds have been identified from the fruiting bodies, mycelia, spores and culture broth of G. lucidum. Although nearly 400 chemical components have been isolated from this mushroom, polysaccharides and triterpenoids are the major components responsible for most of its pharmacological activities. With the recent success on the large scale cultivation and sporoderm breaking technology, much attention has been paid to the isolation of chemical components of G. lucidum spores and their medicinal use. Polysaccharides and terpenoids have been isolated on a large scale from the spores and their therapeutic potentials are discussed in this mini review.