Elevated usage of pharmaceutical products leads to the accumulation of emerging contaminants in sewage. In the current work, Ganoderma lucidum (GL) was used to remove pharmaceutical compounds (PCs), proposed as a tertiary method in sewage treatment plants (STPs). The PCs consisted of a group of painkillers (ketoprofen, diclofenac, and dexamethasone), psychiatrists (carbamazepine, venlafaxine, and citalopram), beta-blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, and propranolol), and anti-hypertensives (losartan and valsartan). The performance of 800 mL of synthetic water, effluent STP, and hospital wastewater (HWW) was evaluated. Parameters, including treatment time, inoculum volume, and mechanical agitation speed, have been tested. The toxicity of the GL after treatment is being studied based on exposure levels to zebrafish embryos (ZFET) and the morphology of the GL has been observed via Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The findings conclude that GL can reduce PCs from <10% to >90%. Diclofenac and valsartan are the highest (>90%) in the synthetic model, while citalopram and propranolol (>80%) are in the real wastewater. GL effectively removed pollutants in 48 h, 1% of the inoculum volume, and 50 rpm. The ZFET showed GL is non-toxic (LC50 is 209.95 mg/mL). In the morphology observation, pellets GL do not show major differences after treatment, showing potential to be used for a longer treatment time and to be re-useable in the system. GL offers advantages to removing PCs in water due to their non-specific extracellular enzymes that allow for the biodegradation of PCs and indicates a good potential in real-world applications as a favourable alternative treatment.

The environmental conditions of a lake are influenced by its type and various environmental forces such as water temperature, nutrients content, and longitude and latitude to which it is exposed. Due to population growth and development limits, former mining lakes are being converted to more lucrative land uses like those of recreational zones, agriculture, and livestock. The fungus Ganoderma lucidum has the potential to be utilised as a substitute or to perform synergistic bacteria-coupled functions in efficient contaminated lake water treatment. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the water quality and water quality index (WQI) of an ex-mining lake named Main Lake in the Paya Indah Wetland, Selangor. Furthermore, the current work simulates the use of a Malaysian fungus in decolourising the contaminated ex-mining lake by the BioDeF system in a 300 mL jar inoculated with 10% (v/v) of pre-grown Ganoderma lucidum pellets for 48 h. According to the results, the lake water is low in pH (5.49 ± 0.1 on average), of a highly intense dark brownish colour (average reading of 874.67 ± 3.7 TCU), and high in iron (Fe) content (3.2422 ± 0.2533 mg/L). The water quality index of the lake was between 54.59 and 57.44, with an average value of 56.45; thus, the water was categorized as Class III, i.e., under-polluted water, according to the Malaysian Department of Environment Water Quality Index (DOE-WQI, DOE 2020). The batch bioreactor BioDeF system significantly reduced more than 90% of the water\'s colour. The utilization of Ganoderma lucidum as an adsorbent material offers a variety of advantages, as it is easily available and cultivated, and it is not toxic.

Various carbon sources affect the growth of the G. lucidum fruiting body, and the cassava stalk is considered a promising carbon source for G. lucidum. The composition, functional group characteristics, molecular weight distribution, antioxidant activity in vitro, and growth effect of L. rhamnosus LGG of G. lucidum polysaccharides (GLPs) under cassava stalk stress were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, near-infrared spectroscopy, and gel chromatography. The results showed that GLPs consisted of D-glucose, D-galactose, and seven other monosaccharides. The end of the sugar chain had β-D-Glc and β-D-Gal configurations. The total sugar content in GLP1 was the highest (4.07%), and GLP1, GLP2, GLP3, and GLP5 had the β-D-Gal configuration, while GLP4 and GLP6 had the β-D-Glc configuration. The greater the proportion of cassava stalk, the greater the maximum molecular weight of GLPs. The total antioxidant capacities of GLPs obtained from different cassava stalks significantly varied, as well as their stimulating effects on the L. rhamnosus LGG growth. Higher concentrations of GLPs corresponded to the more intensive growth of L. rhamnosus LGG. This study provided essential data support for cassava stalk as a carbon source in G. lucidum cultivation.

Fungi-derived β-glucan, a type of glucopolysaccharide, has been shown to possess immune-modulatory properties in clinical settings. Studies have indicated that β-glucan derived from Ganoderma lucidum (commonly known as Reishi) holds particular promise in this regard, both in laboratory and in vivo settings. To further investigate the efficacy and safety of Reishi β-glucan in human subjects, a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted among healthy adult volunteers aged 18 to 55. Participants were instructed to self-administer the interventions or placebos on a daily basis for 84 days, with bloodwork assessments conducted at the beginning and end of the study. The results of the trial showed that subjects in the intervention group, who received Reishi β-glucan, exhibited a significant enhancement in various immune cell populations, including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T-lymphocytes, as well as an improvement in the CD4/CD8 ratio and natural killer cell counts when compared to the placebo group. Additionally, a statistically significant difference was observed in serum immunoglobulin A levels and natural killer cell cytotoxicity between the intervention and placebo groups. Notably, the intervention was found to be safe and well tolerated, with no statistically significant changes observed in markers of kidney or liver function in either group. Overall, the study provides evidence for the ability of Reishi β-glucan to modulate immune responses in healthy adults, thereby potentially bolstering their defense against opportunistic infections.

Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the fastest incidence rate and mortality growth and the greatest threat to human health and life. Marsdenia tenacissima is an antitumor of Chinese medicine. However, Marsdenia tenacissima has low bioavailability in the human body and most of its main active substances are aglycones, such as Tenacigenin A, Tenacigenin B. This study aims to produce biotransformation products rich in pungent saponins by using Marsdenia tenacissima as a fermentation medium of Ganoderma lucidum. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis was carried out on the fermentation products after the optimization process. A total of 249 differential metabolites were detected, and the content of saponins increased from 0.1% to 0.41% and most of them were tenacigenin. Furthermore, the biotransformation of C21 steroidal glycosides in Marsdenia tenacissima was the central reaction in this fermentation process. Pharmacodynamics resewed that the anticancer effect of Marsdenia tenacissima was significantly enhanced after fermentation, mainly through inhibiting the growth and apoptosis of cancer cells.

This study aims to identify the roles of exo-β-glucan (EPS-BG) and endo-β-glucan (ENS-BG) extracted from Ganoderma lucidum (GL) in inhibiting the alpha-glucosidase enzyme, a target mechanism for postprandial hyperglycaemia regulation. Upscale production of GL was carried out using a 10 L bioreactor. The zebrafish embryo toxicity test (ZFET) was carried out based on OECD guidelines. The hatching rate, survival rate, heart rate, morphological malformation, and teratogenic defects were observed and determined every 24 h from 0-120 h of post-exposure (hpe). For diabetes induction, adult zebrafish (3-4 months of age) were overfed and induced with three doses of 350 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) by intraperitoneal injection (IP) on three different days (days 1, 3, and 5). The oral sucrose tolerance test (OSTT) and anti-diabetic activity of EPS-BG and ENS-BG were evaluated (day 7) using the developed model (n = 15). This study showed that EPS is the most potent compound with the highest inhibitory effect toward the alpha-glucosidase enzyme with an IC50 value of 0.1575 mg/ml compared to ENS extracts (IC50 = 0.3479 mg/ml). Both EPS-BG and ENS-BG demonstrated a strong inhibition of alpha-glucosidase activity similar to the clinically approved alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose (IC50 = 0.8107 mg/ml). ENS-BG is non-toxic toward zebrafish embryos with LC50 of 0.92 mg/ml and showed no significant changes in ZE hatching and normal heart rate as compared to untreated embryos (161 beats/min). Teratogenic effects of ENS-BG (<1.0 mg/ml) on zebrafish embryonic development were not observed. The DM model of zebrafish was acquired after the third dose of STZ with a fasting BGL of 8.98 ± 0.28 mmol/L compared to the normal healthy group (4.23 ± 0.62 mmol/L). The BGL of DM zebrafish after 30 min treated with EPS-BG and ENS-BG showed a significant reduction (p < 0.0001). Both EPS-BG and ENS-BG significantly reduced DM zebrafish\'s peak blood glucose and the area under the curve (AUC) in OSTT. Hence, EPS-BG and ENS-BG extracted from GL showed promising inhibition of the alpha-glucosidase enzyme and are considered non-toxic in ZE. Moreover, EPS-BG and ENS-BG reduced blood glucose levels and inhibited hyperglycemia in DM zebrafish.

Parkinson\'s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disease for which only symptomatic treatments, mainly focused on motor symptoms. In contrast, conventional pharmacological treatments do not address cognitive impairment and emotional dysfunction. Together with potential treatment side effects, these can cause distress, lower the quality of life, and increase motor impairment in patients. Preclinical research suggests that the Traditional Chinese Medicine Ganoderma lucidum (\"Reishi\") can alleviate symptoms in neurological disorders like PD. However, no clinical research to date has addressed this. An (unmedicated) patient, 50 years of age and diagnosed with PD for 5 years, approached the author as he decided to initiate self-treatment with Reishi, lasting 3 months. He wanted to evaluate the effects and decide to continue self-treatment or not. He agreed to be followed during this period, using questionnaires asking him about his (non-)motor symptoms. The most notable finding was the increase in Mindfulness, 3 months after self-treatment started. The motor symptoms stayed stable, there were no extreme changes in quality of life, and emotion regulation seemed to deteriorate over time while slightly improving at the 3-month assessment. While the findings do not allow firm conclusions seen the nature (N = 1) of this study, the small positive changes in some facets of affective behavior and the patient\'s experience, combined with the evidence from preclinical research, warrant clinical studies in this patient population.

The aim of this study is to draw attention to the possible effects of chlorpyrifos exposure on the developing rat hippocampus in the prenatal period and to determine whether these effects can be reduced with various antioxidant substances. Pregnant rats were divided into 7 groups.; Chlorpyrifos (CPF), Curcumin (CUR), Ganoderma lucidum (GNL), Chlorpyrifos + Curcumin (CPF + CUR), Chlorpyrifos + Ganoderma lucidum, (CPF + GNL), SHAM and Control (C). After the experiments, brain tissues were evaluated by stereological and immunohistochemical methods. As a result of the stereological analyzes, it was determined that the number of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus of the CPF group decreased significantly from all other groups. In contrast, the number of neurons in the CPF + CUR and CPF + GNL groups was significantly higher than the CPF group. In addition, immunohistochemical analyzes showed that the density of cells stained with glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) positive in all areas in the hippocampus of the rats in the CPF group was significantly higher compared to the control group, whereas in the CPF + CUR and CPF + GNL groups were less than the CPF group. As a result, the exposure of CPF in the prenatal period caused neurotoxicity in the brain hippocampus, whereas CUR and GNL reduced this toxicity caused by CPF.

Although medicinal mushroom extracts have been proposed as promising anti-cancer agents, their precise impacts on metastatic breast cancer are still to be clarified. For this purpose, the present study exploited the effect of a novel medicinal mushroom blend, namely Micotherapy U-care, in a 4T1 triple-negative mouse breast cancer model. Mice were orally administered with Micotherapy U-care, consisting of a mixture of Agaricus blazei, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum, Grifola frondosa, and Lentinula edodes. The syngeneic tumor-bearing mice were generated by injecting 4T1 cells in both supplemented and non-supplemented mice. After sacrifice 25 days later, specific endpoints and pathological outcomes of the murine pulmonary tissue were evaluated. (i) Histopathological and ultrastructural analysis and (ii) immunohistochemical assessment of TGF-ß1, IL-6 and NOS2, COX2, SOD1 as markers of inflammation and oxidative stress were performed. The QoL was comparatively evaluated. Micotherapy U-care supplementation, starting before 4T1 injection and lasting until the end of the experiment, dramatically reduced the pulmonary metastases density, also triggering a decrease of fibrotic response, and reducing IL-6, NOS, and COX2 expression. SOD1 and TGF-ß1 results were also discussed. These findings support the valuable potential of Micotherapy U-care as adjuvant therapy in the critical management of triple-negative breast cancer.

Through the comparative study on the appearance characters and internal structure of cultivated and wild Ganoderma lucidum in Huoshan,this paper provides a reference for the further study of G. lucidum. In this study,the similarities and differences between cultivated G. lucidum \" Huozhi No. 1\" and wild G. lucidum in Huoshan were compared by means of character observation,optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope( SEM). The results showed that the pileus color of \" Huozhi No. 1\" was yellowish brown and thicker,while that of wild G. lucidum was mainly reddish brown,the context was thinner,and there were gravel and rotten wood at the bottom of the stipe. A clear skeletal hyphae and binding hyphae were observed in cultivated and wild G. lucidum,but there was no significant difference. The shell layer,context layer,mediostratum layer and spores of cultivated and wild G. lucidum were observed by SEM,and the results showed that there was no significant difference. It was found that the mediostratum of \" Huozhi No. 1\" was thin and irregular,while the mediostratum of wild G. lucidum was neat and compact. There were two types of spores in wild G. lucidum,one of which retained the outer wall of spore type Ⅰ,with tiny pores on the surface. The other is type Ⅱ spores with many spinous processes on the surface,which may be formed by type Ⅰ spores falling off the outwall. In this study,the appearance characters and internal structure of cultivated and wild G. lucidum in Huoshan were systematically observed and compared,which provided theoretical basis and reference for the identification and quality evaluation of cultivated and wild G. lucidum.