Ganoderma lucidum spore oil modulates immunity in hepatoma H22-bearing mice and restricts tumor growth by inhibiting eicosanoid metabolism pathway

Xueqian Xie; Hongxu Chen; Shuiling Cao; Rui Xu; Yanping Cai; Bo Xu; Yunliang Chen; Kehan Chen; Wentao Wen; Meng Zhao; Xuezhou Ke; Qi Yi; Chunjing Li; Qing Wang; Lian Zhou; Xia Luo

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2025.120164

Ganoderma lucidum spore oil modulates immunity in hepatoma H22-bearing mice and restricts tumor growth by inhibiting eicosanoid metabolism pathway

J Ethnopharmacol. 2025 Jun 20:352:120164. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2025.120164. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xueqian Xie¹, Hongxu Chen¹, Shuiling Cao¹, Rui Xu¹, Yanping Cai¹, Bo Xu¹, Yunliang Chen¹, Kehan Chen¹, Wentao Wen¹, Meng Zhao¹, Xuezhou Ke¹, Qi Yi¹, Chunjing Li¹, Qing Wang², Lian Zhou³, Xia Luo⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
² School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: wangqing@gzucm.edu.cn.
³ School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: zl@gzucm.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: luoxia@gzucm.edu.cn.

PMID: 40544979
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2025.120164

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Ganoderma lucidum spore oil (GLSO) is a well-known health product that is beneficial for immuno-enhancement, which stems from a medicine fungus: Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst. Ganoderma lucidum has been used as tonic in China for more than 2000 years. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that it has effects with immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-oxidation, anti-aging and anti-tumor.

Aim of the study: The immuno-enhancement ability of GLSO in hepatoma H22-bearing mice was investigated in this study, and our work aimed to reveal the potential mechanisms of the antitumor efficacy of GLSO.

Materials and methods: The GLSO components were identified via UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS. A H22 cell subcutaneously transplanted tumor mouse model was constructed, and GLSO was preadministered. The antitumor efficacy of GLSO in hepatoma H22-bearing mice was evaluated according to tumor size, tumor growth curves, tumor inhibition rates and Ki67 level. T and B lymphocyte proliferation, delayed hypersensitivity, NK cell killing activity, macrophage phagocytotic activity and macrophage polarization, cytokine levels and CD69 molecule expression were detected to estimate immune function. Network pharmacology analysis, flow cytometry and Pro-DIA quantitative proteomics analysis were performed to investigate the potential mechanism of GLSO in tumor inhibition, which was verified by WB and RT-PCR.

Results: Thirty-eight compounds including triterpenoids, fatty acids and esters, were identified from GLSO. Mice treated with GLSO showed the smaller initial and final tumor volumes and lower Ki67 expression, GLSO treatment could prevented tumor occurrence and inhibited tumor growth. Treatment with GLSO promoted a strong immune response including macroregulation in immune organs, enhancement of macrophage phagocytosis, NK cell cytotoxicity,T cells and B cells proliferation activity, delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, reducing the production of M2 macrophages and regulation of cytokine secretion in hepatoma H22-bearing mice. Network pharmacology analysis and flow cytometry results showed that treatment with GLSO might have beneficial effects on improving the tumor immune microenvironment. Proteomics analysis showed that GLSO inhibited eicosanoid metabolism pathway, WB and RT-PCR re-check these results.

Conclusion: These findings support that GLSO enhances immunity in hepatoma H22-bearing mice and we first report that GLSO restricts tumor growth by inhibiting eicosanoid metabolism pathway.

Keywords: Antitumor efficacy; Eicosanoid metabolism pathway; Ganoderma lucidum spore oil; Hepatoma H22-bearing mice; Immune enhancement.