Polysaccharides-rich extract of Ganoderma lucidum ( M . A . Curtis : Fr .) P . Karst accelerates wound healing in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Ganoderma lucidum (M.A. Curtis:Fr.) P. Karst is a popular medicinal mushroom. Scientific reports had shown that the wound healing effects of G. lucidumwere partly attributed to its rich polysaccharides.However, little attention has been paid to its potential effects onwounds associated with diabetes mellitus. In this study,we evaluated thewound healing activity of the hot aqueous extract of G. lucidumin streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The extract of G. lucidumwas standardised based on chemical contents (w/w) of total polysaccharides (25.1%), ganoderic acid A (0.45%), and adenosine (0.069%). Six groups of six rats were experimentally wounded in the posterior neck region. Intrasite gel was used as a positive control and aqueous cream as the placebo. Topical application with 10% (w/w) of mushroom extract-incorporated aqueous cream was more effective than that with Intrasite gel in terms ofwound closure. The antioxidant activity in serumof rats treatedwith aqueous extract of G. lucidumwas significantly higher; whereas the oxidativeprotein products andlipid damagewere lowerwhen comparedto those of the controls. These findings strongly support the beneficial effects of standardised aqueous extract of G. lucidumin acceleratingwoundhealing in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.