Antitumor Effects Previous studies over the past 30 years have strongly suggested that there are three possible ways by which maitake (Grifola frondosa) exerts its anticancer effect—protection of healthy cells, prevention of tumor metastasis, and inhibition of tumor growth. In other words, maitake can fight against tumors directly and indirectly by enhancing the immune system. This section will mainly focus on [...]
In recent years, traditional herbal medicines have gained more interest as a complementary and alternative cancer therapy approach because of their insignificant side effects on the human body. Ganoderma lucidum (GL), an important natural product derived from the medicinal mushroom, draws attention since it enhances human health and increases longevity. It has exhibited significant antitumor effects against different [...]
Anti-Oxidation Carotenoids contain long conjugated double bonds in a polyene chain responsible for antioxidant activities by quenching singlet oxygen and scavenging radicals to terminate the chain reaction. Astaxanthin has a conjugated polyene chain at the center and hydroxy and keto moieties on each ionone ring. Due to its unique molecular structure, astaxanthin shows better biological activity [...]
According to the current research, the best source of natural astaxanthin, Haematococcus pluvialis, has extremely harsh growth conditions and has very high requirements for light, temperature, and growth environment. Once the growth environment does not meet the requirements, Haematococcus pluvialis will stop producing astaxanthin and die quickly. Only under certain circumstances, astaxanthin will be rapidly produced [...]
Cordycepin and Diabetes Diabetes has recently become one of the most prevalent epidemics worldwide, affecting almost 382 million people. According to the reports, it is believed that approximately 1.3 million people die every year from diabetes. According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), it is estimated that around 629 million people will have diabetes around the globe [...]
The genus Cordyceps contains many chemical compounds and their derivatives in the form of secondary metabolites. Such diverse chemical compounds make them quite intriguing in analyzing therapeutic effects and pharmacological studies. Major chemical compounds such as nucleosides, sterols flavonoids, cyclic peptides, phenolic, bioxanthracenes, polyketides, and alkaloids are found in Cordyceps species. While in most of the [...]
Inflammation plays an important role in developing cardiovascular diseases and other comorbidities, such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and obesity. Astaxanthin exerts a marked anti-inflammatory effect, which may be interrelated with its antioxidant effect and contributes to physiological changes that benefit cardiovascular function. Atherosclerosis is a degenerative and chronic disease that affects [...]
Reishi mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, is a well-known Chinese crude drug used clinically in China. The fruit bodies are used for treating neurasthenia, deficiency fatigue, insomnia, bronchial cough in older adults, and carcinoma. Many studies have indicated that water or ethanol extracts of G. lucidum showed protective actions against acute hepatitis in rats or mice. Other reports had previously [...]
Cell membrane systems are particularly vulnerable to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species(RONS) attacks due to their content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their metabolic activities, which endogenously generate other oxidizing metabolites. Astaxanthin protects cell membranes against RONS and oxidative damage. Due to its chemical structure, its polar groups overlap the polar regions of the cell membrane. [...]
Our study showed the discriminating effect of reishi(ganoderma lucidum) extract against cancer cell viability. Reishi extract(1% cracked spores, 13.5% polysaccharides, and 6% triterpenes) can prevent cancer cell viability in 24 h. This compound's studies have demonstrated similar effects on the MDA-MB-231 breast and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines. This effect was not observed in a mammary epithelial [...]