Antioxidant and Antimutagenic of Thai Ganodema Lucidum

Abstract

Thai Ganoderma lucidum (G2), which has been grown in Thailand as part of the
Royal Project since 1988 was studied for its safety and efficacy. The present study aimed at
comparing the fruiting body (whole fruiting) and mycelium of GL hot water extracts with
regards to their in vitro mutagenic and antimutagenic potential by bacterial reverse mutation
assay, antioxidant activity by free radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay), and iron
chelating activity. The results showed that both GL extracts ranging from 0.15 to 3.0 mg/ml
was neither mutagenic nor antimutagenic in bacterial system. Higher antioxidant activity in
term of DPPH scavenging free radicals was found in fruiting body extract when compared
with the mycelium extract. Moreover, both GL extracts showed a slight effect of chelating
activity on Fe2+. Significantly, the antioxidant capacity correlated with the total phenolic
content. While no tested concentrations of GL extracts were toxic to TA98 and TA100
salmonella typhimurium, the highest non-mutagenic concentration was cytotoxic to lung
carcinoma cell lines (A549) as determined by Trypan blue assay. This is the first comparative
study on the antimutagenic and antioxidant activities of Thai Ganoderma fruiting body and
mycelium extracts. The information obtained from the study will provide useful information
for safety profile of Thai GL and idea to select the GL parts to develop GL products that
promote health and longevity or disease prevention.