Antihepatoma Activity of the Acid and Neutral Components from Ganoderma lucidum

Ganoderma lucidum extracts or isolated components have been shown previously to acquire many potential biochemical and pharmacological activities, including cancer preventive or antitumor effects. The supercritical fluid extracts of Ganoderma lucidum (total component, TC) and its acid component (AC) and neutral component (NC), were evaluated in vitro and in vivo for their antihepatoma activities. The NC showed a conspicuous inhibitory effect on tumor growth of Heps‐bearing mice, whereas AC was less effective. The TC, NC and AC all inhibited the proliferation of BEL‐7402 cells through apoptosis pathway and cell cycle arrest. Additionally, the NC and TC induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, but the AC resulted in a marked increase in the percentage of cells at G1 phase by flow cytometry. It is suggested that NC is an indispensable effective component in terms of antihepatoma activity and its constituents need to be investigated in detail. It was found that the NC, which was detected by GC‐MS, contained fatty acids and steroids; hence, it is proposed that some compounds such as long‐chain fatty acids and steroids in the NC might also contribute to the antihepatoma activity, although the anticancer activities of G. lucidum traditionally have been considered to be associated with triterpenoids. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.