Chapter 24 - Potential antioxidative response of bioactive products from Ganoderma lucidum and Podophyllum hexandrum

Abstract

Medicinal plants, fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms are known to possess natural antioxidants that reveal a wide range of biological properties like antiaging, anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerosis, and anticancer due to the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Moreover, the polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, lignans, and polysaccharides are among the important secondary metabolites known to neutralize the generation of free radicals in biological systems. Hence, the availability for such bioactive compounds have been found in good proportion in medicinal mushrooms, namely Ganoderma lucidum, and in medical plants, such as Podophyllum hexandrum. The synthesis of potential antioxidants such as extracellular polysaacharides from Ganoderma lucidum and podophyllotoxin from Podophyllum hexandrum can serve as the basis for the supplement industry to produce exogenous antioxidants for human consumption.