Comparison of two officinal Chinese pharmacopoeia species of Ganoderma based on chemical research with multiple technologies and chemometrics analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the chemical differences between Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum, Chizhi) and Ganoderma sinense (G. sinense, Zizhi).


METHODS
Thirty two batches of commercial Ganoderma samples were collected, including 20 batches of G. lucidum and 12 batches of G. sinense cultivated in different geographical regions. Chemical substances in aqueous extract and alcoholic extract, mainly polysaccharides and triterpenes respectively, were investigated. Determination of polysaccharides was carried out with a high performance liquid chromatography with an variable wavelength detector. Meanwhile, analysis of triterpenes were performed on an ultraviolet spectrophotometer, an ultra performance liquid chromatography and a rapid resolution liquid chromatograph combined with an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer. Chromatograms and spectra for all batches and reference standards of main components were obtained and used for direct comparison. Further discussion was made on the basis of the result of principal component analysis (PCA).


RESULTS
Significant difference of triterpenes was shown between G. lucidum and G. sinense. In 20 batches of G. lucidum, 12 main components, including eight ganoderic acids and four ganoderenic acids were identified and ten of them were quantitatively determined, with the total content from 0.249% to 0.690%. However, none of those triterpenes was found in either batch of G. sinense. As for constituents of polysaccharides, seven monosaccharides were identified and four main components among them were quantitatively determined. Difference of polysaccharides was not directly observed, but latent information was revealed by PCA and the discrimination became feasible.


CONCLUSIONS
G. lucidum and G. sinense were chemically different, which might result in pharmacological distinction. Preparations of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) from Ganoderma should make accurate specification on the origin of species.
Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Engineering Laboratory for TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
Juan
J
Da
Wan-Ying
WY
Wu
Jin-Jun
JJ
Hou
Hua-Li
HL
Long
Shuai
S
Yao
Zhou
Z
Yang
Lu-Ying
LY
Cai
Min
M
Yang
Bao-Hong
BH
Jiang
Xuan
X
Liu
Chun-Ru
CR
Cheng
Yi-Feng
YF
Li
De-An
DA
Guo
D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry*; D032902:Ganoderma / Q000737:chemistry*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification; D025341:Principal Component Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014315:Triterpenes