• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2016

Ganoderma lucidum has a long history of use as a traditional medicine in Asian countries. However, the taxonomy of Ganoderma species remains controversial, since they were initially classified on the basis of their morphological characteristics. Recently, it was proposed that G. lucidum from China be renamed as G. sichuanense or G. lingzhi. In the present study, phylogenetic analysis using the internal transcribed spacer region rDNA sequences of the Ganoderma species indicated that all strains of the Korean 'G. lucidum' clustered into one group together with G. sichuanense and G. lingzhi from China. However, strains from Europe and North American, which were regarded as true G. lucidum, were positioned in a clearly different group. In addition, the average size of the basidiospores from the Korean cultivated Yeongji strains was similar to that of G. lingzhi. Based on these results, we propose that the Korean cultivated Yeongji strains of 'G. lucidum' should be renamed as G. lingzhi.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4193-4196
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• 2014

Lingzhi or Ganoderma lucidum is a popular medicinal mushroom used as a health promotion herb in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. There have many previous studies about the anti-cancer effects of lingzhi especially in vitro. The present study reports the clinical data of 5 gynecologic cancer patients who achieved stability in the disease after ingestion of lingzhi in the form of fruit body water extract and spores in a salvage setting. This report has been written to enhance the data describing the effect of lingzhi in cancer patients.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.427-430
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• 2020

Ganoderma lingzhi is a well-known source of natural fungal medicines which has been given for the treatment of several diseases. China is one of the major commercial producers of Ganoderma mushroom worldwide. However, with the expansion of the commercial cultivation, the occurrence of the fungal diseases on G. lingzhi has also been increased. The green mold disease symptoms were observed in the cultivation base of G. lingzhi in Zuojia Town, Jilin City, Jilin Province, China, causing the basidiomes to be rotten and withered, and the green mycelium layer generated gradually. The pathogenicity tests showed the same symptoms as appeared naturally in Zuojia mushroom base. Morphology characters revealed conidia green, ellipsoid, globose, 2.56-4.83 × 2.09-4.22 ㎛, length-width ratio was 1.1-1.2 (n = 10). Conidiophores trichoderma-like, often asymmetry, branches solitary, paired or in whorls of 3 phialides formed solitary, paired or in whorl, variable in shape, lageniform, sometimes ampulliform or subulate. While using molecular methodology, comparing with the sequences of Trichoderma hengshanicum from GenBank, the analyzed sequence showed 97.32% homology with the RPB2 sequences, 100% with the TEF1-a sequences. A fungus isolated from the diseased tissues was identified based on morphology and molecular studies as T. hengshanicum. This is the first report of T. hengshanicum causing the green mold disease of G. lingzhi in China.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.133-137
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• 2004

Present review is built on base of research work on Ganoderma lucidum in our laboratory. A great deal of experimental evidence has suggested that the pharmacological activities of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi) are related to anti-oxidative and free radical scavenging activity. The anti-oxidative and free radical scavenging effects of polysaccharides and triterpenoids isolated from Ganoderma lucidum in different oxidative injury models including tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBOOH)- damaged mice peritoneal macrophages, alloxan-induced diabetes, experimental liver injury models induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), D-galactosamine (DGal) and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) plus lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were investigated. It is also demonstrated that Lugu lingzhi, one of Ganoderma product, significantly inhibited LDL oxidation mediated by endothelial cells and decreased monocyte adhesion to endothelial cell (EC) induced by Oxidative low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and advanced glycation endproducts (AGE). Lugulingzhi-treated serum could markedly inhibit the expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-l) induced by ox-LDL and AGE.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.61-77
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• 2004

Present review is built on base of research work on Ganoderma lucidum in our laboratory. A great deal of experimental evidence has suggested that the pharmacological activities of Ganoderma lucidum(Lingzhi) are related to anti-oxidative and free radical scavenging activity. The anti-oxidative and free radical scavenging effects of polysaccharides and triterpenoids isolated from Ganoderma lucidum in different oxidative injury models including tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBOOH)- damaged mice peritoneal macrophages, alloxan-induced diabetes, experimental liver injury models induced by carbon tetrachloride (CC14), D-galactosamine (DGal) and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin(BCG) plus lipopolysaccharides(LPS) were investigated. It is also demonstrated that Lugu lingzhi, one of Ganoderma product, significantly inhibited LDL oxidation mediated by endothelial cells and decreased monocyte adhesion to endothelial cell (EC) induced by Oxidative low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and advanced glycation endproducts(AGE). Lugulingzhi-treated serum could markedly inhibit the expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-l (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-l (VCAM-1) induced by ox-LDL and AGE.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.213-217
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• 2018

This study was carried out to identify medicinal mushrooms with protective effects against oxidative stress in PC12 neuronal cell line, followed by evaluation of their antioxidant property. Extracts of medicinal mushrooms, including Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE), antler-shaped Ganoderma lingzhi extract (AGLE), Hericium erinaceus extract (HEE), and Sanghuangporus baumii extract (SBE), were screened for cytotoxicity using MTT assay. None of the extracts up to $10{\mu}g/ml$ concentration affected cell viability. These extracts were further checked for their protective effect against oxidative stress-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Exposure to $50{\mu}M$ $H_2O_2$ induced ROS generation in PC12 cells, which was inhibited only by treatment with AGLE. In addition, inhibition of $H_2O_2-induced$ ROS generation by AGLE was found to be in a dose-dependent manner (2.5, 5, and $10{\mu}g/ml$). Microscopic examination of DCF fluorescence for detection of ROS showed a similar pattern. Further, antioxidant activity of AGLE was determined by ABTS radical cation assay, and its $IC_{50}$ was found to be $46.90{\pm}0.31{\mu}g/ml$. Taken together, these results suggest that AGLE may help to alleviate oxidative stress in PC12 neuronal cells.

• Mycobiology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.42-46
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• 2013

The effects of the composition of a mixture containing food waste compost (FWC), rice bran (RB), and oak sawdust (SD) on the antler-type fruiting body (FB) yield of Ganoderma lucidum were studied. Experiments were performed using 0 (control), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40% (w/w) FWC added to a basal growth medium consisting of 20% (w/w) RB and 80% (w/w) SD. The content of 15% FWC gave the highest FB yield ($27.0{\pm}1.3$ g/bottle), which was 44% higher than the yield ($18.6{\pm}2.8$ g/bottle) of the control treatment. However, FWC contents of 20~40% showed reduced yield (2.4~23.0 g/bottle), partly because FWC had a high Na concentration (0.6%). These results demonstrate the potential for use of FWC as a component of a growth medium for production of G. lucidum FBs.

• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.112-119
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• 2019

Compounds from Lingzhi has been demonstrated the ability for inhibiting tyrosinase (a key enzyme in melanogenesis) activity. In this study, we investigated the anti-melanogenic activity from the submerged mycelial culture of Ganoderma weberianum and elucidated the skin lightening mechanism by B16-F10 murine melanoma cells. From the cellular context, several fractionated mycelium samples exhibited anti-melanogenic activity by reducing more than 40% extracellular melanin content of B16-F10 melanoma cells. In particular, the fractionated chloroform extract (CF-F3) inhibited both secreted and intracellular melanin with the lowest dosage (25 ppm). Further analysis demonstrated that CF-F3 inhibited cellular tyrosinase activity without altering its protein expression. Taken together, our study has demonstrated that the chemical extracts from submerged mycelial culture of G. weberianum have the potential to serve as an alternative anti-melanogenic agent.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.221-233
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• 2020

This study was carried out to compare the growth characteristics, biological activities, β-glucan contents, sugar contents, and amino acid contents of 14 strains of Ganoderma spp. Among the 14 strains of Ganoderma spp., KMCC02960 (G. meredithae) and KMCC02932 (G. tropicum) showed excellent growth characteristics such as those with respect to the size and yield of fruiting bodies. The highest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity was observed in KMCC02932 (G. tropicum). The nitrite scavenging activities of KMCC02824 (G. lucidum) and KMCC02852 (G. neo-japonicum) were higher than those of the other strains. The total polyphenol contents of the extracts from KMCC02824 (G. lucidum) and KMCC02852 (G. neo-japonicum) were higher than those of the other strains. KMCC03018 (G. lingzhi) showed the highest β-glucan content of 33.4%. In an analysis of the 4 types of monosaccharides, 2 types of disaccharides, and 4 types of sugar alcohols, only KMCC02996 (G. weberianum) and KMCC03018 (G. lingzhi) were commonly detected out of the 14 strains of Ganoderma spp. Eighteen amino acids, including eight essential amino acids, were identified: the highest total amino acids and total essential amino acids were found in KMCC02932 (G. tropicum), which had the highest levels of tyrosine and phenylalanine. Although the contents of amino acids differed by strain, cysteine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine were the most abundant amino acids in the analyzed extracts.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.271-289
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• 2012

Objectives : Ganoderma lucidum(Ganoderma or lingzhi, 靈芝) is a well-known oriental medical mushroom containing many bioactive compounds. The possible mechanisms involved in its effects on cancer cells remain to be elucidated. In the present study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities of the G. lucidum ethanol extract(GEE), in AGS human gastric cancer cells were investigated. Methods : It was found that exposure of AGS cells to GEE resulted in the growth inhibition in a dose and time dependent manner as measured by trypan blue count and MTT assay. The anti-proliferative effect of GEE treatment in AGS cells was associated with morphological changes and formation of apoptotic bodies, and the flow cytometry analysis confirmed that GEE treatment increased the populations of apoptotic-sub G1 phase. Growth inhibition and apoptosis of AGS cells by GEE were connected with a concentration and time-dependent up-regulation of tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand(TRAIL) expression. Results : The levels of XIAP and survivin expression, members of IAP family proteins, were gradually down-regulated by GEE treatment. However other members of IAP family proteins such as cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 remained unchanged in GEE-treated AGS cells. GEE treatment also induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 and a concomitant degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase(PARP) protein, a caspase-3 substrate protein. Additionally, GEE-induced apoptosis was associated with the inhibition of Akt activation in a concentration and time-dependent manner, and pre-treatment with LY294002, a phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/Akt inhibitor, significantly increased GEE-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis. Conclusions : Therefore, G. lucidum has a strong potential as a therapeutic agent for preventing cancers such as gastric cancer cells.