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Review
. 2023 Apr 13;15(8):1874.
doi: 10.3390/nu15081874.

Ganoderma lucidum: Novel Insight into Hepatoprotective Potential with Mechanisms of Action

Md Faruque Ahmad  1 , Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad  2 , Md Zeyaullah  3 , Abdulrahman A Alsayegh  1 , Syed Esam Mahmood  4 , Abdullah M AlShahrani  3 , Mohammad Suhail Khan  5 , Eman Shama  1 , Alshaimaa Hamouda  1 , Ehab Y Elbendary  1 , Kandil Abdel Hai Ali Attia  1
Affiliations
Review

Ganoderma lucidum: Novel Insight into Hepatoprotective Potential with Mechanisms of Action

Md Faruque Ahmad et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) has been widely used for its health benefits as an edible and traditional medicinal mushroom for thousands of years in Asian countries. It is currently used as a nutraceutical and functional food owing to its major bioactive compounds, polysaccharides and triterpenoids. G. lucidum exhibits a broad range of hepatoprotective impacts in various liver disorders, such as hepatic cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcohol-induced liver disease, hepatitis B, hepatic fibrosis, and liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and α-amanitin. G. lucidum protects the liver through a broad range of mechanisms that include the modulation of liver Phase I and II enzymes, the suppression of β-glucuronidase, antifibrotic and antiviral actions, the regulation of the production of nitric oxide (NO), the maintenance of hepatocellular calcium homeostasis, immunomodulatory activity, and scavenging free radicals. G. lucidum could signify an encouraging approach for the management of various chronic hepatopathies, and its potential mechanisms make it a distinctive agent when used alone or with other drugs and applied as a functional food, nutraceutical supplement, or adjuvant to modern medicine. This review summarizes the hepatoprotective properties of G. lucidum with its various mechanisms of action on different liver ailments. Biologically active substances derived from G. lucidum are still being studied for their potential benefits in treating different liver ailments.

Keywords: NAFLD; alcohol; cancer; hepatoprotective; mechanisms; nutritional constituents.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Different potential triterpenoids isolated from G. lucidum that reveal protective actions in various diseases.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Different potential triterpenoids isolated from G. lucidum that reveal protective actions in various diseases.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Different potential triterpenoids isolated from G. lucidum that reveal protective actions in various diseases.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Different potential triterpenoids isolated from G. lucidum that reveal protective actions in various diseases.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hepatoprotective action exhibited by G. lucidum-isolated triterpenoids and polysaccharides against alcohol-induced hepatic injury, NAFLD, liver fibrosis, hepatic cancer, hepatitis B, α amantin, CCL4 and drug-induced hepatic injury.
Figure 3
Figure 3
G. lucidum exhibits protective effects against the development of the spectrum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through its multifaceted mechanism.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Proposed mechanism of G. lucidum against hepatic cancer.
Figure 5
Figure 5
G. lucidum exhibits potential action against CCl4-induced liver injury through regulating different enzymes and scavenging free radicals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through Review Article project under grant number RA.KKU/90/43.