The morphology of the Reishi fruiting body (including the stipe and pileus) and its active ingredients can vary depending on cultivation conditions such as temperature, humidity, light, and ventilation (air circulation). When the carbon dioxide concentration in the environment exceeds a certain level, the Reishi fruiting body will not differentiate into a pileus but will instead extend the stipe, which may also branch during the extension process, resulting in a form resembling antlers. This phenomenon gives rise to the terms “antler-shaped Reishi” or “antler Reishi.”
Therefore, “antler-shaped Reishi” is not a unique variety of Reishi but rather a specific morphological form of the Reishi fruiting body developed under particular environmental conditions. Since the active ingredients in the Reishi fruiting body are the result of continuous interaction with the environment throughout its growth, theoretically, even if the source is the same Reishi variety, the active ingredients in “antler-shaped Reishi” should differ from those in the “Ruyi-shaped Reishi” with a fully developed pileus.
On May 18, 2024, Senior Researcher Ruoyun Chen and Associate Researcher Jie Kang, from the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and the State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, along with others, published a report online in Phytochemistry (the official journal of the European, North American, and Asian Phytochemical Societies) that confirmed this argument.
(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2024.114148)
Antler-shaped Reishi contains triterpenes that are absent in Ruyi-shaped Reishi.
The report points out that, although nearly 500 triterpenes from Reishi have been publicly documented, their team still managed to isolate seven previously unknown triterpenes (compounds 1–7 in the figure below) from the ethanol extract of antler-shaped Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) fruiting bodies provided by Fujian Xianzhilou Biological Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Fujian, as well as one triterpene (compound 8 in the figure below) whose chemical structure matches that of a synthetically produced Reishi triterpene.
Eight triterpenes isolated from the ethanol extract of antler-shaped Reishi fruiting bodies.
Some triterpenes from antler-shaped Reishi exhibit hepatoprotective activity.
The researchers further analyzed the hepatoprotective activity of these eight Reishi triterpenes by adding them (as the experimental group) or glutathione (GSH, known for its antioxidant properties, as the positive control group) along with acetaminophen to human liver cells (HepG2) for 48 hours of culturing.
Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in paracetamol, is metabolized into oxidative damage-causing metabolites by enzymes in liver cells. Normally, these metabolites are quickly neutralized into harmless compounds by the antioxidant enzyme glutathione within the cells. However, in cases of acetaminophen overdose, where excessive harmful metabolites are produced, glutathione becomes depleted. The unmetabolized harmful metabolites then undergo oxidative reactions with proteins, lipids, and DNA within the liver cells, leading to damage to the cell membrane, protein dysfunction, and DNA damage, which ultimately results in liver cell death.
Similarly, liver cells cultured with acetaminophen alone for 48 hours showed a survival rate reduced to 63.6%. However, liver cells protected with glutathione had their survival rate increased to 72.1%. The two newly discovered triterpenes from this experiment (compounds 3 and 5 in the figure above) also exhibited protective effects similar to glutathione, increasing liver cell survival rates to 69.7% and 76.1%, respectively (as shown in the figure below).
The researchers hypothesize that these two hepatoprotective Reishi triterpenes may protect liver cells from acetaminophen-induced damage through mechanisms such as inhibiting lipid peroxidation, enhancing antioxidant enzyme activity, and suppressing apoptosis. Further experiments are warranted to explore these effects in more detail.
Additionally, since the human liver cell line HepG2 used in the experiment possesses dual characteristics—it retains some of the normal liver cell functions such as detoxification and metabolism of acetaminophen, while also exhibiting the ability for uncontrolled cancer cell proliferation—further investigation is warranted to determine whether the other six antler-shaped Reishi triterpenes, which further reduce the survival rate of HepG2 cells, have potential inhibitory effects on liver cancer.
Different cultivation environments shape the morphology of Reishi and produce triterpenes with varying structures and activities.
Reishi is a highly unique fungus. Unlike other fungi that convert all triterpenes into ergosterol after forming the initial triterpene structure (a pentagonal or hexagonal ring structure composed of 30 carbon atoms) in the fruiting body, Reishi accumulates a large amount of triterpenes and performs extensive modifications such as oxidation, reduction, methylation, ethylation, and shifting of unsaturated bond positions, resulting in a highly diverse range of triterpene configurations.
The above is an explanation by Professor Ching-Hua Su, a Taiwanese scholar specializing in Reishi triterpenes, regarding the diversity of Reishi triterpene compounds. This description should help us understand why Reishi exhibits such varied morphology and characteristics when grown in environments with poor ventilation (high carbon dioxide concentration) versus good ventilation (adequate oxygen).
One reason why Reishi forms and accumulates a variety of triterpenes is likely related to its defense mechanism against surrounding weeds. These triterpenes inhibit certain degradative enzymes, preventing weed germination, while inadvertently providing humans with a range of beneficial physiological functions, such as antimicrobial, antifungal, toxin-degrading, and anti-cancer properties.
Different cultivation conditions give rise to triterpenes with various structures in Reishi, and different chemical configurations produce distinct physiological activities. Whether antler-shaped Reishi triterpenes have advantages over Ruyi-shaped Reishi triterpenes is yet to be explored and developed by scientists.
Regardless of the outcome, this study highlights the importance of cultivation conditions for Reishi. Only by standardizing the cultivation environment after establishing a stable germplasm, and even standardizing the harvest timing, can we consistently produce Reishi materials with specific active ingredients and corresponding health benefits year after year, thereby offering consumers Reishi products that are “as good today as they were yesterday.”
To determine if the Reishi you consume matches the company’s claims, examine whether they follow standardized cultivation practices, which can reveal the truth.
Source: Hongjie Shao, et al. ‘Triterpenes from antler-shaped fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum and their hepatoprotective activities.’ Phytochemistry. 2024; 224:114148. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2024.114148.
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