ANTITUMOR-ACTIVITY OF GANODERMA-LUCIDUM, AN EDIBLE MUSHROOM, ON INTRAPERITONEALLY IMPLANTED LEWIS LUNG-CARCINOMA IN SYNERGENIC MICE

The antitumour activity of Ganoderma lucidum, called 'Ling-Zhi or holy mushroom' in Chinese traditional medicine, was investigated on intraperitoneally implanted Lewis lung carcinoma in syngeneic C57BL/6 mice. An aqueous extract of Ling-Zhi significantly increased the life span of tumour-implanted mice, when administered intraperitoneally alone or in combination with cytotoxic antitumour drugs (Adriamycin, fluorouracil, thioguanine, methotrexate, Cisplatin) or a synthetic immunomodulator (Imexon). The aqueous extract was not cytotoxic in cell cultures and the antitumour activity was abolished by pretreatment of mice with cyclosporine. The active principle(s) was found to be present predominantly in the ethanol precipitable fraction of the aqueous extract.