[Pharmacokinetics of ganoderic acids]

Abstract

Ganoderic acid(GA) is one of main bioactive components produced by Ganoderma lucidum,which a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and a kind of tracyclic triterpene lanosterol derivatives with highly oxidized structure. It has a variety of important pharmacological activities,such as anticancer,immunoregulation,anti-oxidation,anti-diabetes and anti-HIV. At present,the studies of GA mainly focus on biosynthesis,fermentation control,isolation and purification,structure identification and pharmacological effects.However,there are a fewer pharmacokinetic studies of GA,although it is closely related to the clinical application. Recent studies have shown that GA can be absorbed rapidly by gastrointestinal tract and distributed in various tissues and organs after oral intake. GA is metabolized by liver at phase Ⅰ and phase Ⅱ,and then mainly excreted by bile. In this paper,the pharmacokinetic characteristics of GA and its absorption,distribution,metabolism and excretion(ADME) will be systematically summarized,in order to provide scientific basis for the application and development studies of Ganoderma triterpenoid drugs and their rational clinical use.

Keywords: Ganoderma lucidum; ganoderic acid; pharmacokinetic; research progress.