Ganoderma lucidum is a wood-degrading basidiomycete with numerous pharmacological effects. Since the mushroom is very rare in nature, artificial cultivation of fruiting bodies has been known on wood logs and on sawdust in plastic bags or bottles. Biotechnological cultivation of G. lucidum mycelia in bioreactors has also been established, both on solid substrates and in liquid media by submerged cultivation of fungal biomass. The most important pharmacologically active constituents of G. lucidum are triterpenoids and polysaccharides. Triterpenoids have been reported to posses hepatoprotective, anti-hypertensive, hypocholesterolemic and anti-histaminic effects, anti-tumor and anti-engiogenic activity, effects on platelet aggregation and complement inhibition. Polysaccharides, especially β-d-glucans, have been known to possess anti-tumor effects through immunomodulation and anti-angiogenesis. In addition, polysaccharides have a protective effect against free radicals and reduce cell damage caused by mutagens.

Ganoderma lucidum and its pharmaceutically active compounds

Mushroom cultivation presents an economically important biotechnological industry that has markedly expanded all over the world in the past few decades. Mushrooms serve as delicacies for human consumption and as nutriceuticals, as "food that also cures". Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of basidiomycetous fungi, contain substances of various kinds that are highly valued as medicines, flavourings and perfumes. Nevertheless, the biological potential of mushrooms is probably far from exploited. A major problem up to now is that only a few species can be induced to fruit in culture. Our current knowledge on the biological processes of fruiting body initiation and development is limited and arises mostly from studies of selected model organisms that are accessible to molecular genetics. A better understanding of the developmental processes underlying fruiting in these model organisms is expected to help mushroom cultivation of other basidiomycetes in the future.

Fruiting body production in Basidiomycetes.

Ganoderma lucidum (Ling Zhi) is a basidiomycete white rot macrofungus which has been used extensively as "the mushroom of immortality" in China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries for 2000 years. A great deal of work has been carried out on therapeutic potential of Ganoderma lucidum. The basidiocarp, mycelia and spores of Ganoderma lucidum contain approximately 400 different bioactive compounds, which mainly include triterpenoids, polysaccharides, nucleotides, sterols, steroids, fatty acids, proteins/peptides and trace elements which has been reported to have a number of pharmacological effects including immunomodulation, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, chemo-preventive, antitumor, chemo and radio protective, sleep promoting, antibacterial, antiviral (including anti-HIV), hypolipidemic, anti-fibrotic, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-androgenic, anti-angiogenic, anti-herpetic, antioxidative and radical-scavenging, anti-aging, hypoglycemic, estrogenic activity and anti-ulcer properties. Ganoderma lucidum has now become recognized as an alternative adjuvant in the treatment of leukemia, carcinoma, hepatitis and diabetes. The macrofungus is very rare in nature rather not sufficient for commercial exploitation for vital therapeutic emergencies, therefore, the cultivation on solid substrates, stationary liquid medium or by submerged cultivation has become an essential aspect to meet the driving force towards the increasing demands in the international market. Present review focuses on the pharmacological aspects, cultivation methods and bioactive metabolites playing a significant role in various therapeutic applications.

Ganoderma lucidum: a potent pharmacological macrofungus.

We discuss current information on the ability of extracts and isolated metabolites from mushrooms to modulate immune responses. This can result in a more enhanced innate and acquired disease resistance. The major immunomodulating effects of these active substances derived from mushrooms include mitogenicity and activation of immune effector cells, such as lymphocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells, resulting in the production of cytokines, including interleukins (ILs), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-alpha, and interferon gamma (INF)-gamma. In particular, the ability of selective mushroom extracts to modulate the differentiation capacity of CD4(+) T cells to mature into T(H)1 and/or T(H)2 subsets will be discussed. As a consequence these extracts will have profound effects in particular diseases, like chronic autoimmune T(H)1-mediated or allergic T(H)2-mediated diseases. Immunosuppressive effects by mushroom components have also been observed. The therapeutic effects of mushrooms, such as anticancer activity, suppression of autoimmune diseases, and allergy have been associated with their immunomodulating effects. However, further studies are needed to determine the molecular mechanisms of the immunomodulating effects of mushrooms metabolites both individually and in complex mixtures, for example, extracts.

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Antiinflammatory and immunomodulating properties of fungal metabolites.

Cancer is in many ways a complicated disease and often patients are seeking guidance to be cured without paying higher prices and with the hope of recovering their health. In this book the author discusses the use of natural products in cancer treatment targeting especially patients and physicians, but also provides invaluable information for researchers. According to the author; the Book has three main purposes:

Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses medicinal benefits of the Mushroom Ganoderma . Recently, the fruit body and liquid-cultured mycelium of Ganoderma have been reported to contain polysaccharides which inhibit the growth of tumors. Identified as glucans, one of the major constituents in the cell wall of fungi, they appear to increase bodily resistance against the growth of tumors, induce the production of interferon, enhance the immunity function, and kill tumor cells within the body. The role of medicinal mushrooms in metabolic regulation is gaining greater attention. Their use in the development and application of beneficial biological activities offers an advantage in that the active principle is safe and can be tolerated by humans. Cultivation of such mushrooms provides an adequate supply but is unnecessary if mycelial cultures grown in large-scale fermentations can produce the same active principle. Finally, the search for new uses for the traditional medicinal fungi continues and the public should be educated about their potential value.

Medicinal Benefits of the Mushroom Ganoderma

Publisher Summary This chapter describes medicinal and therapeutic value of the shiitake mushroom. The shiitake mushroom is the second most popular edible mushroom in the global market. To explore and possibly exploit the shiitake myth, many scientists have attempted to document its traditional therapeutic value. The shiitake mushroom contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Hypolipidemic and anti-thrombotic substances have been identified; the nucleic acids induce interferon production. Reputed antitumor components vary in chemical nature, but the most important may prove to be a polysaccharide that acts as a host defense potentiator. The ability of the shiitake to lower blood cholesterol was first reported by Kaneda and Tokuda (1966), who found that a diet supplemented with the dried ground sporophores of L. edodes lowered average plasma cholesterol when fed to rats. As shiitake mushrooms are a rich source of dietary fiber, scientists fed rats a standard control diet and one containing cholesterol, along with whole shiitake or neutral detergent fiber (NDF) extract. The eritadenine-free NDF had a cholesterol-lowering effect distinct from that of eritadenine, which was attributed to its ability to bind to cholic acid salts.

Medicinal and therapeutic value of the shiitake mushroom.

Publisher Summary The United States National Cancer Institute (NCI) has recently intensified its emphasis upon natural products as a source of new drug discovery. This chapter deals with the antitumor and antiviral substances derived from fungi. The fungi produce many antibiotic substances besides penicillin, some of which have been reported to show antiviral or antitumor activity. The metabolic pathways of fungi can be divided into two broad areas: the primary metabolism that provides the fungi with energy, synthetic intermediates and key macromolecules, such as protein and DNA; and the secondary metabolism that yields a range of species-specific compounds possessing no obvious function in cell growth. The discovery of novel substances with anticancer and antiviral activities from fungi are extensive, yet the more systematic and successful exploration of fungi for potentially useful new anticancer and antiviral drugs has undoubtedly been constrained by limitations in available screening systems. Therefore, the NCI has also more recently assumed responsibilities for the implementation of a national acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) antiviral drug screening and drug development program in parallel and in complement to the anticancer drug program.

Antitumor and antiviral substances from fungi.

Pure culture methodology allows an investigator to detect, isolate, identify, and quantify numbers and kinds of fungi from a wide array of environments and to define the nutritional, chemical, and environmental requirements for their growth and metabolism. Studies with pure cultures not only enhance understanding of any natural ecosystem within infected hosts or in the environment, but also help in the determination of molecular architecture and screening for novel activity/compounds. Pure culture methodology is the foundation of fundamental and applied research, as well as the commercial exploitation of fungi.

Cultivation and Preservation of Fungi in Culture

Publisher Summary In the early days of biotechnology, trade secrecy has been often considered sufficient protection for the inventor, but modern-day biotechnologists are relying more and more on the protection afforded by patents for their inventions. The ability to select and manipulate genetic material has generated heightened interest in the commercial uses of living organisms. One result of this development of biotechnology is the creation of inventions that are themselves alive. Since the landmark Chakrabarty decision, which allowed the patenting of new life forms such as microorganisms, the patent activity in the biotechnology industry has escalated rapidly. The deposition of living organisms in culture collections has helped in solving the problem of the reproducibility of the written disclosure. With this increased patent activity, culture collections have been recognized as playing a significant role in the development of modern biotechnological patent systems.

Shung-Chang Jong

Papers

Medicinal Benefits of the Mushroom Ganoderma

Medicinal and therapeutic value of the shiitake mushroom.

Antitumor and antiviral substances from fungi.

Cultivation and Preservation of Fungi in Culture

Disclosure requirements for biological materials in patent law.