Current development of polysaccharides from Ganoderma: Isolation, structure and bioactivities

Ganoderma is a kind of fungus which has long been used as a folk remedy for promoting health and longevity in Asian countries. Polysaccharide is considered as one of the main bioactive substances in Ganoderma. The isolation, structural features and bioactivities of Ganoderma polysaccharides have been investigated extensively in the past three decades. α or β-(1→3)-, (1→6)-glucans and heterosaccharides with different combinations of glucose, mannose, galactose, xylose, fucose as well as arabinose are extracted from different species, and molecular weight ranges from thousands to millions of Dalton. They have shown various important bioactivities, such as immunomodulatory, antitumor, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-hypertensive, and so on. The purpose of this present work is to summarize the most recent development of polysaccharides from Ganoderma in the aspects of isolation processes, structural features and bioactivities, and to state a view for future direction.

► Isolation and structural features of polysaccharides from Ganoderma were reviewed.
► Polysaccharides from Ganoderma were identified to possess extensive bioactivities.
► New perspectives for the future work were proposed.