The anti-fatigue and sleep-aiding effects vary significantly among different recipes containing Ganoderma lucidum extracts

Kexin Li; Wenzhen Liu; Changhui Wu; Le Wang; Yunmei Huang; Ye Li; Huimin Zheng; Yanyu Shang; Lei Zhang; Zhuo Chen

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30907

The anti-fatigue and sleep-aiding effects vary significantly among different recipes containing Ganoderma lucidum extracts

Heliyon. 2024 May 8;10(10):e30907. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30907. eCollection 2024 May 30.

Authors

Kexin Li^{1

2}, Wenzhen Liu¹, Changhui Wu³, Le Wang¹, Yunmei Huang⁴, Ye Li³, Huimin Zheng⁵, Yanyu Shang⁵, Lei Zhang^{1

6}, Zhuo Chen^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fujian Academy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350108, China.
² College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China.
³ Fujian Xianzhilou Biological Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Fuzhou, Fujian, 350108, China.
⁴ Academy of Integrative Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China.
⁵ College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350108, China.
⁶ University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to delve into the anti-fatigue and sleep-aiding effects of various formulations containing Ganoderma lucidum extracts.

Materials and methods: PGB [incorporating Ganoderma lucidum extract (GE), broken Ganoderma lucidum spore powder (GB) and Paecilomyces hepiali mycelium (PH)] and GBS [composed of GE, GB, and Ganoderma sinense powder (GS)] were chosen as representative recipes for this study. Mice were treated with these recipes or key components of Ganoderma lucidum for 14 consecutive days. Subsequently, a weight-bearing swimming experiment was conducted to assess the mice's exhaustion time and evaluate the anti-fatigue properties of the recipes. Sleep-aiding effects were analyzed by measuring the sleep latency and duration. Furthermore, levels of blood lactic acid, serum urea nitrogen, hepatic glycogen, muscle glycogen, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in the livers and muscles.

Key findings: The anti-fatigue abilities of the tested mice were significantly improved after treatment with PGB and their sleep quality improved as well with GBS treatment. PGB treatment for 14 days could significantly prolong the exhaustion time in weight-bearing swimming (from 10.1 ± 0.5 min to 15.2 ± 1.3 min). Meanwhile, glycogen levels in the livers and muscles were significantly increased, while the levels of serum lactic acid, serum urea nitrogen, and MDA in the livers and muscles were significantly decreased. In contrast, mice treated with GBS for 14 days experienced significant improvements in sleep quality, with shortened sleep latency (from 6.8 ± 0.7 min to 4.2 ± 0.4 min), extended sleep duration (from 88.3 ± 1.4 min to 152.5 ± 9.3 min), and decreased muscle MDA levels. These results indicated that Ganoderma lucidum extracts can be used for anti-fatigue and or aid in sleeping, depending on how they are prepared and administered.

Significance: This study provides experimental evidence and theoretical basis for the development of Ganoderma lucidum recipes that are specifically designed to help with anti-fatigue and sleep.

Keywords: Ganoderma lucidum extract; Glycogen levels; Malondialdehyde; Serum lactic acid; Serum urea nitrogen; Sleep-aiding activity; anti-Fatigue activity.