Enhancement of repair of radiation induced DNA strand breaks in human cells by Ganoderma mushroom polysaccharides

The DNA repair ability of a cell is vital to the integrity of its genome and thus to its normal functioning and that of the organism. The repair-enhancing property of polysaccharides isolated from Ganoderma lucidum which belongs to the polyporaceae family was determined by comet assay in human peripheral blood leukocytes. Comet parameters were studied at 2 Gy gamma irradiation with 15 min intervals. The comet parameters after 2 Gy exposures to gamma-radiation were reduced to nearly normal levels after 120 min of exposure. The polysaccharides from G. lucidum enhance the repair process, which is a promising approach for protection from radiation exposure, but a detailed study of the molecular mechanism is needed for further application. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.