Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, with high rates of mortality and morbidity. According to a research published recently in Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, Chinese scientists revealed new function of ganoderic acids from Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) for treating breast cancer.

This is the first time scientists identified potential targets of ganoderic acids for breast cancer treatment using bioinformatics techniques.

G. lucidum, also called as Lingzhi in Chinese, is a popular medicinal fungus. It has a unique therapeutic and pharmacological reputation in suppressing cancer/tumor progression, especially breast cancer, due to its embedded rich bioactive chemical constituents, mainly triterpenoids (ganoderic acids).

In this study,a team led by Prof. HUANG Qing at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences applied network pharmacology analysis to predict the potential therapeutic targets and signaling pathways of ganoderic acidsfor breast cancer treatment.

Their results showed that 53 potential target proteins associated with 202 pathways were predicted to be related to breast cancer. Further analysis narrowed these targets down to six key candidates, which were validated through molecular docking studies.

Specifically, ganoderic acid DM (GADM) and the target with the strongest interactions, were validated via breast cancer cell lines. The more GADM theyused, the more it suppressed PIK3CA protein in breast cancer cells, the researchers found.

These findings suggest that GADM could be a reliable potential treatment for breast cancer by inhibiting PIK3CA and slowing cancer cell growth. This positions GADM as a potential candidate for combination therapies aimed at enhancing current treatment methods or overcoming drug resistance.

The findings provide a strong rationale for further exploration of GADM as a potential therapeutic agent for breast cancer, according to the team.

Protein-protein interaction network of the 53 potential targets for treating breast cancer. (Image by Mohammed Sharif Swallah)