Ganoderma lucidum, commonly referred to as Lingzhi, has been used in Asia for health
promotion for centuries. The anti-cancer effects of G. lucidum have been demonstrated in both in
vitro and in vivo studies. In addition, the observed anti-cancer activities of Ganoderma have
prompted its usage by cancer patients alongside chemotherapy.
The main two bioactive components of G. lucidum can be broadly grouped into triterpenes
and polysaccharides. Despite triterpenes and polysaccharides being widely known as the major
active ingredients, the different biological pathways by which they exert their anti-cancer effect
remain poorly defined. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of action may lead to more
widespread use of Ganoderma as an anti-cancer agent.
The aim of this paper is to summarise the various bioactive mechanisms that have been
proposed for the anti-cancer properties of triterpenes and polysaccharides extracted from G.
lucidum. A literature search of published papers on NCBI with keywords “Ganoderma” and
“cancer” was performed. Among those, studies which specifically examined the anti-cancer
activities of Ganoderma triterpenes and polysaccharides were selected to be included in this
paper.
We have found five potential mechanisms which are associated with the anti-cancer
activities of Ganoderma triterpenes and three potential mechanisms for Ganoderma
polysaccharides. In addition, G. lucidum has been used in combination with known anti-cancer
agents to improve the anti-cancer efficacies. This suggests Ganoderma’s bioactive pathways may
compliment that of anti-cancer agents. In this paper we present several potential anti-cancer
mechanisms of Ganoderma triterpenes and polysaccharides which can be used for the
development of Ganoderma as an anti-cancer agent