Biochemical Characterization and Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Different Ganoderma Collections

Abstract

The aim of this study was to conduct a molecular and biochemical characterization and to compare the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of four <i>Ganoderma</i> isolates belonging to <i>Ganoderma lucidum</i> (Gl-4, Gl-5) and <i>Ganoderma resinaceum</i> (F-1, F-2) species. The molecular identification was performed by ITS and IGS sequence analyses and the biochemical characterization by enzymatic and proteomic approaches. The antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extracts was compared by three different methods and their flavonoid contents were also analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The antiproliferative effect on U937 cells was determined by MTT assay. The studied mycelia differ both in the enzymatic activities and protein content. The highest content in total phenol and the highest antioxidant activity for DPPH free radical scavenging and chelating activity on Fe²⁺ were observed with the Gl-4 isolate of <i>G. lucidum</i>. The presence of quercetin, rutin, myricetin, and morin as major flavonoids with effective antioxidant activity was detected. The ethanolic extracts from mycelia of <i>G. lucidum</i> isolates possess a substantial antiproliferative activity against U937 cells in contrast to <i>G. resinaceum</i> in which the antiproliferative effects were insignificant. This study provides a comparison between <i>G. lucidum</i> and <i>G. resinaceum</i> mycelial strains, and shows that <i>G. resinaceum</i> could be utilized to obtain several bioactive compounds.