In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of the Skincare Bioactivity of β-1,3;1,6-Glucans-Rich Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides

Extracted from Ganoderma lucidum mycelium, the developed β-1,3;1,6-glucan rich polysaccharides have the potential to be used during the industrial production of health food products due to their inhibition of metabolic syndrome, immunomodulatory and antitumor activities and other health benefits. Ganoderma active polysaccharides (GAP) have also been found to promote skin health, particularly due to their antioxidant and anti-aging properties. The present study investigates the skin-protective properties of polysaccharides purified from Ganoderma mycelium cultivated using stress-tolerance technology and a fully plant-based medium. The effects of the GAP are investigated in both in vitro and human studies. The results of the study indicate that the developed GAP effectively inhibit 32.4% of tyrosinase activity and 30.6% of melanin production in B16F10 cells. Furthermore, in scratch assays using NIH 3T3 cells, these GAP also promote cell migration and wound healing. In human studies, GAP demonstrated no potential for skin irritation while effectively reducing skin wrinkles, enhancing skin brightness, diminishing erythema, and increasing epidermal hydration. In hot-flux patch-induced erythema experiments, these GAP were found to be capable of alleviating erythema severity by up to 48%. The present study demonstrates that GAP, which can be produced industrially using innovative technologies and is rich in highly water-soluble β-1,3;1,6-glucan with a triple-helix structure, holds potential for application in the skincare industry.