Anti-tumor and anti-oxidant effects of Ganoderma lucidum extracts on oral squamous cell carcinoma and skin squamous cell carcinoma in vitro

Ganoderma lucidum has had great importance in healthcare in the Chinese for many decades. Polysaccharides and triterpenoids are one of the most important components of G. lucidum. Biological evidence indicates that this mushroom can be a promising treatment in many cancer cases and reduce the toxic effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy if taken synchronously. This study highlights preparing an extract with therapeutic effects capable of removing free radicals and protecting cell membranes from hyperoxidation effects. The antitumor effect was evaluated on two types of cancer cell lines in vitro, Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HOSCC) and Human Skin Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HSSCC), at different concentrations 0.0-1600 µg/mL. Antioxidant by DPPH assay was assessed at concentrations from 0.0-500 µg/mL, in addition to their effects on cytogenetic indicators such as mitotic index (MI), blastogenic index (BI) and total chromosomal aberration (TCAs) for three types of extracts (ethanol extract, water extract and acidified water extract). The results recorded an increase in the antioxidant activity of the three extracts, and that the acidified water extract had the highest effect, reaching a killing rate of 78.53% for the acidified water extract on the HOSCC cell line. Chromosomal stability indicates that the three extracts enhanced the cytogenetics parameters and supported chromosomal stability by increasing both mitotic index (MI) and blastogenic index (BI), while reducing chromosomal aberrations.