Mushrooms have been consumed since earliest history; ancient Greeks believed that mushrooms provided strength for warriors in battle, and the Romans perceived them as the “Food of the Gods.” For centuries, the Chinese culture has treasured mushrooms as a health food, an “elixir of life.” They have been part of the human culture for thousands of years and have considerable interest in the most important civilizations in history because of their sensory characteristics; they have been recognized for their attractive culinary attributes. Nowadays, mushrooms are popular valuable foods because they are low in calories, carbohydrates, fat, and sodium: also, they are cholesterol-free. Besides, mushrooms provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D, proteins, and fiber. All together with a long history as food source, mushrooms are important for their healing capacities and properties in traditional medicine. It has reported beneficial effects for health and treatment of some diseases. Many nutraceutical properties are described in mushrooms, such as prevention or treatment of Parkinson, Alzheimer, hypertension, and high risk of stroke. They are also utilized to reduce the likelihood of cancer invasion and metastasis due to antitumoral attributes. Mushrooms act as antibacterial, immune system enhancer and cholesterol lowering agents; additionally, they are important sources of bioactive compounds. As a result of these properties, some mushroom extracts are used to promote human health and are found as dietary supplements.

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Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life

https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/102889/2/hdl_102889.pdf

Tissue invasion and metastasis: Molecular, biological and clinical perspectives.

Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum), a basidiomycete white rot fungus, has long been prescribed to prevent and treat various human diseases, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea. Several classes of bioactive substances have been isolated and identified from G. lucidum, such as triterpenoids, polysaccharides, nucleosides, sterols, and alkaloids, among others. This paper examines the potential role of G. lucidum polysaccharide (GLPS) in tumor therapy and the possible mechanisms involved. Both in vitro and in vivo studies suggested that the anti-tumor activities of GLPS are mediated by its immunomodulatory, anti-angiogenic, and cytotoxic effects. GLPS affects immune cells and immune-related cells including B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells. In addition, recent data also suggest that GLPS suppresses tumorigenesis or inhibits tumor growth through direct cytotoxic effect and anti-angiogenic actions. However, many questions still need to be answered before both G. lucidum and GLPS can be widely accepted and used as anti-tumor agents.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides: immunomodulation and potential anti-tumor activities.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related-death and the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, with approximately 100,000 new cases diagnosed per year [1, 2]. If detected very early in the course of the disease, surgical resection may be adequate, but many patients still need supplemental chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In most cases, commonly used chemotherapies are limited by severe side effects and dose-limiting toxicity. Adding more drugs or increasing the dosages increases the probability of adverse effects. The drug-related adverse events not only worsen patients' quality of life, but can also lead to their refusal to continue the potentially curative chemotherapy [3]. Newer therapies involving targeted chemotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer are also associated with undesirable adverse effects [4]. Considering these facts, significant improvement in treating patients with colorectal cancer is required.

In the last two decades, botanicals with effective anti-cancer activity have been researched. The use of herbal medicines is also on the rise in cancer patients [5, 6]. Long-term consumption of certain botanicals could be associated with reduced cancer incidence and thus has an epidemiological basis for further investigation. Research that explores new botanical candidates with potential anti-cancer effects is imperative, and allows for the development of safe and efficacious anti-cancer therapies [7, 8].

Crocus sativus is a plant of the iris family (Iridaceae) and its flower contains various chemical constituents [9]. Stigmas of the flower (saffron) contain crocin, anthocyanin, carotene and lycopene [10], and these constituents have various pharmacological effects on different illness, including anti-tumor effects by inhibition of cell growth [11]. Recently, Crocus sativus extract (CSE) was found to have anti-cancer activities against leukaemia, osteosarcoma, fibrosarcoma and ovarian carcinoma cells [9]. Crocin (Fig. 1) is a main constituent the CSE. However, effects of CSE and crocin on human colorectal cancer have not been evaluated.



Fig. 1

Chemical structure of crocin (MW: 977)



In this study, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we analyzed CSE and its content of crocin. The anti-proliferation effects of CSE and crocin were evaluated in three human colorectal cancer cell lines, i. e., HT-29, SW-480 and HCT-116. The inhibitory effects on colorectal cancer cell growth were also compared to a different cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Additionally, we also tested if CSE's anti-proliferative effects can bee seen in non-cancer young adult mouse colon (YAMC) cells.

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Crocin from Crocus sativus possesses significant anti-proliferation effects on human colorectal cancer cells.

Quality control and original discrimination of Ganoderma lucidum based on high-performance liquid chromatographic fingerprints and combined chemometrics methods.

Aim: Ganoderma lucidum is a commonly used Chinese herb and an important ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine herbal formulations for immune dysfunction related illnesses. The effects of this medicinal mushroom on human colorectal cancer cells have not yet been evaluated. 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. Their antiproliferative activity was evaluated by cell proliferation assay and 3 H-thymidine incorporation assay. Scavenging effects of DPPH radical were assessed using ESR-spectroscopy. Results: Our data showed that both GLE-1 and GLE-2 significantly inhibited the proliferation of SW 480 cells. The inhibitory effect of GLE-2 was much stronger than that of GLE-1. GLE-1 inhibited DNA synthesis in the cells and reduced the formation of DPPH radicals. Conclusion:

Kong J

Papers

Ganoderma lucidum extract inhibits proliferation of SW 480 human colorectal cancer cells.