Exploring New Insights | Glimpsing the Potential of "Ganoderma Polysaccharides in Anti-Cerebral Tumor Therapy" from Animal Experimental Results

It is a well-established fact that ganoderma polysaccharides can exert an anti-tumor effect by modulating the immune system. However, due to the “blood-brain barrier” between the brain and blood vessels, which selectively prevents certain substances from entering brain cells, whether ganoderma polysaccharides can actually exert an anti-brain-tumor effect has long remained uncertain.

Now the answer has been revealed. A report jointly published in September 2018 by the Union Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, the Fujian Institute of Neurosurgery, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, and others in “Integrative Cancer Therapies” confirms that Ganoderma lucidum ( Ganoderma lucidum The polysaccharide GL-PS, isolated from the fruiting bodies, can bypass the blood-brain barrier and exert an inhibitory effect on brain tumors while prolonging survival.

Experimental Result 1: The tumor is relatively small.

Glioma is the most common type of brain tumor. Researchers first implanted glioma cells into the brains of rats, then administered Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS to the rats via intraperitoneal injection, at daily doses of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg (50, 100, or 200 mg of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS per kilogram of rat body weight).

After two weeks of continuous treatment, the size of brain tumors in experimental rats was assessed using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) (Figure 1A). The results showed that, compared to the control group of rats with brain tumors that received no Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide, rats treated with 50 or 100 mg/kg of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS exhibited an average reduction in tumor volume of approximately one-third (Figure 1B).

Figure 1: Inhibitory Effect of Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharide GL-PS on Brain Tumors

Experiment Result 2: Prolonged Survival Time

After the MRI scans were completed, all experimental rats were continued to be kept until their deaths. The results showed that the rats given 100 mg/kg of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS lived the longest, with an average survival time of 32 days—about one-third longer than the control group’s 24 days. One of these rats even survived for as long as 45 days.

As for the other two groups of rats treated with Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS, the average survival period was approximately 27 days, which was not significantly different from that of the control group.

  Figure 2: Effect of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS on the lifespan of rats with brain tumors

Experiment Result 3: Enhancing the Immune System’s Anti-Tumor Capacity

The researchers further investigated the effects of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides on the immune function of rats with brain tumors. The results showed that in rats receiving intraperitoneal injections of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides, the number of cytotoxic T cells in the brain tumors (Figure 3) and the lymphocytes in the spleen—including both T cells and B cells—were significantly increased. Moreover, the concentrations of cytokines secreted by immune cells and known to promote anti-tumor activity, such as IL-2 (interleukin-2), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor), and INF-γ (interferon-gamma), were also markedly higher in the treated group compared to the control group.

In addition, researchers have confirmed through in vitro experiments that ganoderma polysaccharides not only enhance the cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells against glioma cells, significantly reducing the survival rate of glioma cells, but also accelerate the maturation of dendritic cells—cells in the immune system responsible for recognizing foreign invaders and initiating immune responses—thereby speeding up the immune system’s ability to mount a comprehensive attack against cancer cells. Moreover, these polysaccharides help generate more cytotoxic T cells, enabling them to engage in more intense and effective battles against cancer cells.

Figure 3: Effect of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS on the number of cytotoxic T cells in brain tumors.

[Note] This is a histological section of a rat brain tumor. The brown-colored area represents cytotoxic T cells. Control refers to the control group, while the other three groups are the Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide GL-PS groups. The data indicated represent the doses of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide administered by intraperitoneal injection to tumor-bearing rats.

Malignant brain tumors are difficult to treat.

Glioma is the most common type of brain tumor, resulting from the abnormal proliferation of glial cells that surround nerve cells. It can be either a slow-growing benign tumor (whether or not it causes symptoms such as headaches depends on the tumor’s location and size) or a rapidly growing malignant tumor.

Malignant gliomas have lost the original function of these cells—“to nourish, support, and protect nerve cells.” Not only do they grow rapidly, but they can also spread outward within a short period of time.

This type of malignant glioma, which grows and spreads rapidly, can be described as the most common and deadliest brain tumor in humans. Even when patients receive aggressive treatment immediately after diagnosis, their average life expectancy is only 14 months. Fewer than 30% of patients survive longer than two years, and only about 5% live more than five years.

Therefore, how to effectively enhance the patient’s own immune system’s anti-cancer capabilities has become a major area of exploration in the medical community for treating glioblastoma in recent years.

The opportunity to discover the anti-brain-tumor effects of ganoderma polysaccharides.

The above research findings indicate that a moderate dose of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides can help combat brain tumors. Since polysaccharides injected into the abdominal cavity are absorbed via the hepatic portal vein, metabolized by the liver, and then enter the bloodstream, where they interact with immune cells in the blood, the inhibition of brain tumor growth and the extension of survival time in rats are likely attributable to the stimulation of immune responses and enhancement of immune function by Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides.

Obviously, the blood-brain barrier—a physiological structural feature—does not prevent Ganoderma polysaccharides from exerting their inhibitory effect on brain tumors. However, experimental results also indicate that the dosage of Ganoderma polysaccharides is not necessarily better when higher; yet too low a dose seems to produce insufficient effects. Exactly what constitutes an “appropriate” dosage may vary depending on the specific type of Ganoderma polysaccharide involved. Moreover, whether oral administration can achieve the same therapeutic effects as intraperitoneal injection still requires further research to confirm.

However, the above-mentioned research findings have at least revealed the potential of ganoderma polysaccharides to inhibit the growth of brain tumors and extend survival time. In the context of currently limited treatment options, this report may offer us some opportunities for complementary therapies.

[Source] Wang C, et al. Antitumor and Immunomodulatory Activities of Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides in Glioma-Bearing Rats. Integr Cancer Ther. 2018;17(3):674-683.

[About the Author / Wu Tingyao]

Having reported firsthand news about Lingzhi since 1999, he continues to do so to this day and is the author of “Lingzhi: Marvelous Beyond Words” (published by People’s Medical Publishing House in April 2017).

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