Triterpenes (C₃₀)

Ganoderic acid D (GD) is the major active triterpenoid in Ganoderma lucidum, a medicinal fungus used daily; biliary rather than renal clearance was the major route of excretion, the metabolic transformation included reduction, monohydroxylation, dihydroxylation, trihydroxylation, oxidation, desaturation, sulfation, and glucuronidation; the main metabolic soft spots in the chemical structure of GD were the 3-carbonyl group, angular methyl groups, the 7-hydroxy group, and the 26-carboxylic acid moiety.

Madecassoside is a mechanism-based inhibitor of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, wound-healing, and neuroprotective activities, It may have cardioprotective effects in LPS-mediated through inhibition of ERK, p38, and NF-κB activity, it inhibited the pro-inflammatory mediators, including COX-2 expression, PGE2 production, TNF-αand IL-6 levels and the up-regulation anti-inflammatory molecule IL-10.

Oxidization and hydroxylation are the common metabolic pathways for Ganoderic acid B.

Ganoderic acid H( GA-H )and ganoderic acid A(GA-A ) suppress growth (cell proliferation and colony formation) and invasive behavior (adhesion, migration and invasion) of MDA-MB-231 cells; they mediate their biological effects through the inhibition of transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kappaB, resulting in the down-regulation of expression of Cdk4 and the suppression of secretion of uPA, respectively; furthermore, the activity of ganoderic acids is linked to the hydroxylation in the position 7 and 15 (GA-A) and 3 (GA-H) in their triterpene lanostane structure; so hydroxylated triterpenes from G. lucidum could be promising natural agents for the therapy of invasive breast cancers.

Asiatic acid is a pentacyclic triterpene contained in medicinal plants, can be used as an agent for increasing sensitivity of colon cancer cells to treatment with CPT-11 or as an agent for reducing adverse effects of CPT-11.

Soyasapogenol B has anti-cancer, hypocholesterolemic, anticomplementary, hepatoprotective effects, it inhibits proliferation of cultured Hep-G2.