In vivo antitumor effects of bitter principles from the antlered form of fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum

Two triterpene fractions and a single ganoderma alcohol obtained from an antlered form of the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum were examined for their antitumor effects on the growth of inoculated mouse Lewis lung carcinoma in mice by intraperitoneal administration. The ganoderma alcohol fraction significantly suppressed the tumor growth at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg in the treatment period, and even after the administration, showing antitumor activity with a T/C value of 70.6% at a dose of 100 mg/kg. On the other hand, no obvious activity was shown at each dose in the ganoderma-acid-fraction-treated groups. Furthermore, ganoderiol F, which exhibited the strongest cytotoxicity against four tumor cell lines among five ganoderma alcohols examined, remarkably inhibited the tumor growth, accounting for 63.7% and 78.7% of control group at a dose of 5 mg/kg, 54.1% and 63.0% at a dose of 10 mg/kg, and 47.7% and 53.9% at a dose of 20 mg/kg in and after the administration period, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the antitumor effects of bitter principles in G. lucidum are mainly due to ganoderma alcohols.