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Distribution of free and esterified ergosterols in the medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum

  • Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology
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Abstract

The fruiting bodies, spores, and lipid from the spores of Ganoderma lucidum have been widely used for medicinal purpose in China. Ergosterol content may be a suitable marker for evaluating the quality of ganoderma spore and ganoderma spore lipid (GSL) products. A gradient reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the simultaneous determination of free and esterified ergosterols in G. lucidum. The contents of free and esterified ergosterols in the different parts (the stipe, pileus, tubes, and spores) of G. lucidum and GSL were determined. The results showed that total ergosterol levels in the stipe, pileus, tubes, and spores of G. lucidum were between 0.8 and 1.6 mg/g. The relative abundances of free to esterified ergosterol were different in the different parts of G. lucidum. The spores and the tubes, the hymenophore tissue that contains the spore-producing cells, have a considerably higher percentage of ergosteryl esters (41.9 and 39.7% of total ergosterol) in comparison with the pileus and stipe tissues (3.6 and 6.2%).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol/Food Engineering Research Center of State Education Ministry, College of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People’s Republic of China

    Jian-Ping Yuan, Jiang-Hai Wang & Xin Liu

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  1. Jian-Ping Yuan
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  2. Jiang-Hai Wang
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  3. Xin Liu
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Correspondence to Jian-Ping Yuan.

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Yuan, JP., Wang, JH. & Liu, X. Distribution of free and esterified ergosterols in the medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 77, 159–165 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1147-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1147-x

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