Ganoderma lucidum inhibits oxidative stress‐induced invasiveness of cancer cells through the suppression of interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) secretion.

Abstract

Epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that the intake of natural/nutrient products is inversely related to cancer risk, and dietary antioxidants can reduce the risk of certain cancers. Ganoderma lucidum is an Asian medicinal mushroom that has been used for the treatment of various diseases including cancer. We have previously demonstrated that G. lucidum suppresses growth, angiogenesis and invasiveness of highly metastatic breast cancer cells. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of G. lucidum on oxidative stress-induced metastatic behavior of poorly-invasive MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Here, we show that G. lucidum inhibits oxidative stress-induced migration of MCF-7 cells by the down-regulation of MAPK signaling. G. lucidum suppressed oxidative stress stimulated phosphorylation of ERK1/2, which resulted in the down-regulation of expression of c-Fos, followed by the inhibition of transcription factor AP-1. The biological effect of G. lucidum on cell migration was mediated by the suppression of secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) from MCF-7 cells. In summary, our results suggest that G. lucidum inhibit oxidative stress-induced invasive behavior of breast cancer cells by modulating of MAPK signaling and could be potentially considered as an antioxidant in adjuvant cancer therapy.