REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol., 03 March 2025

Sec. Ethnopharmacology

Volume 16 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1521235

Progress in the study of bioactivity, chemical composition and pharmacological mechanism of action in Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb

  • 1. School of Medical Information, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China

  • 2. Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China

  • 3. Jilin Ginseng Academy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China

  • 4. Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutial Group Co., Ltd., Post-Doctoral Research Center, Yanji, China

Abstract

The Latin name of Wolfiporia cocos is Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb, it a medicinal and edible mushroom belonging to the family Polyporaceae. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it can strengthen the spleen, diuretic, tranquillise the mind and dispel dampness. So far, the chemical and active metabolites isolated and extracted from Wolfiporia cocos are mainly polysaccharides, triterpenoids, and sterols. Modern pharmacology has found that these chemical and active metabolites have a wide range of pharmacological effects, including antitumour, antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, regulation of intestinal flora, regulation of glycolipid metabolism, and improvement of organ function. By applying Poria cocos, Poria, Wolfiporia cocos, Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb as search terms, we searched all the relevant studies on Poria cocos from Web of Science and PubMed databases and classified these categories of chemical and active metabolites according to the main research content of each literature and summarized its mechanism of action, updated its latest research results, and discussed the direction of further research in the future to provide a better reference for future clinical applications with better therapeutic effects and potential medicinal value.

1 Introduction

Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb. is the current accepted Latin name, and it formerly was known as MacrohyWolfiporia cocos (Schwein.) I. Johans. & Ryvarden., Poria cocos (syn. Wolfiporia cocos), Poria cocos F.A. Wolf, Pachyma cocos (Schwein.) Fr., and Sclerotium cocos Schwein (Li et al., 2022), which is known as “Fuling” in China and is now widely used in China, Japan and other parts of Asia. It is a healthcare edible mushroom belonging to the family Polyporaceae, which grows on the roots of pine trees in China (Nie et al., 2020). Wolfiporia cocos was first recorded in the famous Chinese medical book “Shennong Bencao Jing” and has been used for 2000 years (Li et al., 2019a). It is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine used for both food and medicine, which can strengthen the spleen, diuretic, tranquillize the mind and dispel dampness (Ng et al., 2024). Existing studies have shown that the active metabolites of Wolfiporia cocos are mainly triterpenoids, polysaccharides, sterols, and others, of which the active metabolites have biological functions such as antitumour (Li et al., 2024; Yue et al., 2023), regulation of intestinal flora (Lai et al., 2023), improvement of organ function (Jiang et al., 2022; Wu et al., 2023a), immunomodulation (Zhang W. et al., 2023), anti-inflammatory (Wu et al., 2023b), antioxidation (Fang et al., 2021), and regulation of glycolipid metabolism (Pan et al., 2023). By applying Poria cocos, Poria, Wolfirporia cocos, Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb as search terms, we searched all the relevant studies on Wolfiporia cocos from Web of Science and PubMed databases and classified these categories of chemical and active metabolites according to the main research content of each literature and summarized its mechanism of action, updated its latest research results, and discussed the direction of further research in the future to provide a better reference for future clinical applications with better therapeutic effects and potential medicinal value.

2 Active ingredients in Wolfiporia cocos

2.1 Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides refer to a class of high molecular weight metabolites, which are composed of more than 10 monosaccharides and are connected by glycosidic bonds. Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides, as one of the main active ingredients of Wolfiporia cocos, account for about 84% of the active ingredients in Wolfiporia cocos sclerotia (Li et al., 2019b). Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides can be divided into two categories based on their structure: glucans and heteropolysaccharides, with heteropolysac-charides mainly consisting of glucose, galactose, and mannose (Huang Q. et al., 2007). Chihara et al. (1970) extracted Pachyman from Wolfiporia cocos, which is mainly composed of β-(1→3)-D-glucan and also contains a small amount of β-(1→6) glycosidic side chains. Narui et al. (Narui et al., 1980) demonstrated through experiments that the structure of Pachyman extracted from Wolfiporia cocos mycelium cultured in the laboratory is almost identical to that extracted from Wolfiporia cocos grown in nature. The research results of Wang et al. (Wang et al., 2004) urther confirmed that the main component of Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides is β-(1→3)-D-glucan. According to their solubility, Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides are divided into water soluble polysaccharides (WPCP) whose backbone is composed of (1,6)-α-galactan and (1,3)-β-mannoglucan and alkaline soluble polysaccharides (APCP) whose backbone is composed of (1,3)-β-D-glucan (Zhao et al., 2023). Details are provided in Table 1.

TABLE 1

ComponentsMonosaccharide compositionStructural featuresPharmacological mechanismReferences
H11Glu(1,3) -(1,6)-β-D-glucanAntitumourKanayama et al. (1983)
PCS1Fuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 9.2: 25.7: 47.9: 17.1(1→3)-D-Glc-(1→6)-D-Glc; (1→6)-D-Gal, (1→4, 6)-D-Gal, (1→2, 6)-D-Man, (1→3,6)-D-ManNot availableWang et al. (2004)
PCS2Fuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 1.5: 8.8: 6.5: 82.4(1→3)-D-Glu, (1, terminal)-D-Glu, (1→6)-D-Glu, (1→2)-D-Gal, (1→3,6)-D-ManNot availableWang et al. (2004)
PCS3-IFuc: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 9.0: 4.0: 39.3: 10.4: 37.2Not availableNot availableWang et al. (2004)
PCS3-IIGlc = 98.4(1→3)-β-D-glucan with a linearNot availableWang et al. (2004)
PCS4-IFuc: Man: Glc = 1.2: 2.9: 93.1(1→3)-β-D-glucan with some β-(1→6) and (1→2) linked branchesNot availableWang et al. (2004)
PCS4-IIGlc = 97.2(1→3)-β-D-glucan with some β-(1→6) and (1→2) linked branchesNot availableWang et al. (2004)
wc-PCM0Fuc: Ara: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 4.1: 3: 2.5: 61.7Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
wc-PCM1Fuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 10.5:24.5: 37.5: 30.6Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
wc-PCM2Fuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 3.4: 12.5: 13.4: 70.7Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
wb-PCM0Xyl: Glu: Ara:Man: Gal: Glc = 3.9: 71.1: 71.1: 6.1: 3.9: 11.4(1,3)-α-D-glucan, β-D-mannose, β-D-galactoseAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
wb-PCM1Man: Glu: Gal = 7.7: 73.1: 19.2Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
wb-PCM3-IFuc: Ara: Man: Gal: Glc = 1.0: 2.2: 95.6: 20.5(1→3)-α-D-glucanNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wb-PCM3-IIFuc: Ara: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 2.6: 2.0: 1.2: 2.0: 91.4(1→3)-β-D-glucanNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wb-PCM4-IMan: Glu = 5.8: 94.1Not availableNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wb-PCM4-IIGlu: Gal = 76.1: 23.9(1→3)-β-D-glucanNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wc-PCM0Fuc: Ara: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 4.1: 3: 2.5: 61.7: 15Not availableNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wc-PCM1Fuc: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 10.5: 24.5: 37.5: 30.6Not availableNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wc-PCM2Fuc: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 3.4: 12.5: 13.4: 70.7Not availableNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wc-PCM3-IXyl: Man: Glu = 6.4: 16.7: 76.9Protein-bound (1→3)-β-D-glucanNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wc-PCM3-IIGluNot availableNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wc-PCM4-INot availableNot availableNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
wc-PCM4-IINot availableNot availableNot availableJin et al. (2003b)
ac-PCM0Xyl: Man: Glc = 1.4: 1: 43Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
ac-PCM1Fuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 4.5: 15.8: 23.9: 53.4Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
ac-PCM2Fuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 0.8: 19.1: 29.7: 51.4Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
ab-PCM0Man: Gal: Glc = 9.2: 11.1: 21.5Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
ab-PCM1Fuc: Ara: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 7.9: 4.0: 2.6: 10.5: 27.6: 47.3Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
ab-PCM2 - IIMan: Gal: Glc = 5.6: 13.1: 81.2Not availableAntitumourJin et al. (2003a)
PCSCMan: Gal: Ara = 92: 6.2: 1.3Not availableImmunomodulationLee and Jeon (2003)
PCM3 - IIGluNot availableAntitumourZhang et al. (2006)
Pi-PCM0Ara: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 2.5: 1.5: 70.6: 18.5: 7Not availableAntitumourHuang et al. (2007b)
Pi-PCM1Fuc: Ara: Xyl: Man: Gal: Glc = 10.9: 1.0: 2.8: 23.6: 36.5: 25.2Not availableAntitumourHuang et al. (2007b)
Pi-PCM2Fuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 1.9: 29.6: 38.9: 29.7Not availableAntitumourHuang et al. (2007b)
Pi-PCM3-IGluNot availableNot availableHuang et al. (2007b)
Pi-PCM3-IIMan: Gal: Glc = 10.9: 21.0: 68.1Not availableNot availableHuang et al. (2007b)
Pi-PCM4-IGlu(1→3)-β-D-glucanNot availableHuang et al. (2007b)
Pi-PCM4-IIGal: Glc = 45.6: 54.4(1→3)-β-D-glucanNot availableHuang et al. (2007b)
PCP-IFuc: Man: Glc: Gal = 1: 1.81: 0.27: 7.27Not availableImmunomodulationWu et al. (2016)
PCP-IIFuc: Man: Glc: Gal = 1: 1.63: 0.16: 6.29Not availableImmunomodulationWu et al. (2016)
PCWPWFuc: Man: Glc: Gal = 15.3: 36.8: 7.2: 40.4Not availableAntidepressant/ImmunomodulationZhang et al. (2023a)
PCWPSFuc: Man: Glc: Gal = 10.1: 30.07: 16.6: 41.47Not availableAntidepressant/ImmunomodulationZhang et al. (2023a)
CMP33GluNot availableAntitumourLiu et al. (2019)
CMP-1Glu(1→3)-β-D-glucanImmunomodulationLiu et al. (2021)
CMP-2Man: Glc = 0.03:1Not availableImmunomodulationLiu et al. (2021)
PCP-1CFuc: Man: Gal: Glc = 14.6: 17.4: 43.5: 24.4Not availableAnti-inflammatoryCheng et al. (2021)
EPS - 0MGlc: Man: Gal: Fuc: Rha = 17.3:46.3:19.9:8.7:5.0Not availableAnti-inflammatory/ImmunomodulationLi et al. (2023)
EPS - 0.1MGlc: Man: Gal: Fuc: Rha = 11.5:46.5:21.9:10.7:5.6Not availableAnti-inflammatory/ImmunomodulationLi et al. (2023)
IPS - 0MGlc: Man: Gal: Fuc: Rha = 79.7:8.9:5.5:1.7:3.1Not availableAnti-inflammatoryLi et al. (2023)
IPS - 0.1MGlc: Man: Gal: Fuc: Rha = 50.3:20.9:16.1:6.0:4.0Not availableAnti-inflammatory/ImmunomodulationLi et al. (2023)

Polysaccharides from Wolfiporia cocos.

2.2 Triterpenoids

Triterpenoids, as one of the main active ingredients of Wolfiporia cocos, have a basic parent nucleus composed of 30 carbon atoms, and their structure can be regarded as a polymer of six isoprene units (Chen et al., 2018a). So far, more than 100 triterpenes with different skeletons have been discovered, among which pentacyclic triterpenes and tetracyclic triterpenes have the highest content (Andre et al., 2016). The triterpenoids in Wolfiporia cocos are mainly divided into two categories based on their number of rings: tetracyclic triterpenoids and pentacyclic triterpenoids, with tetracyclic triterpenoids dominating. We classified 159 triterpenoids obtained from the literature based on their different molecular backbone characteristics and grouped triterpenoids with similar molecular backbones. Details are provided in Table 2 and Figures 15.

TABLE 2

NoChemical componentsFormulaMolecular massPharmacological propertiesReferences
Lanosta-8-ene type triterpenes
1Pachymic acidC33H52O5527.37Regulation of glycolipid metabolism, anti-inflammatory, antioxidation, inhibition of LDH and α-glucosidase activityLi et al. (2017)
2Tumulosic acidC31H50O4485.36Anti-inflammatoryFu et al. (2018)
3Eburicoic acidC31H50O3470.72Regulation of glycolipid metabolism, antioxidation, inhibition of LDH activityLi et al. (2017)
4Trametenolic acidC30H48O3456.7Antioxidation, inhibition of LDH activityLi et al. (2017)
5Methyl pachymateC34H56O6560.8Not availableWang et al. (1993)
63-O-acetyl-16α-hydroxytrametenolic acidC32H50O5513.35Inhibition α-glucosidase activityMa et al. (2023)
716α-hydroxytrametenolic acidC30H48O4471.34Anti-inflammatoryNukaya et al. (1996)
8Versisponic acid EC35H54O5554.8Regulation of glycolipid metabolismChen et al. (2019)
9Oxotrametenolic acidC30H46O4470.68Not availableLee et al. (2017a)
10O-acetylpachymic acid-25-olC35H56O7588.81Not availableWang and Wan (1998)
11O-acetylpachymic acidC35H54O6570.8Not availableWang et al. (1993)
12Acetyl eburicoic acidC33H52O4512.76AntitumourLeón et al. (2004)
133β,16α-dihydroxy-7-oxo-24-methyllanosta-8,24(31)-dien-21-oic acidC31H48O5523.34Not availableLai et al. (2016)
143β-acetyloxy-16α-hydroxy-24-oxolanost-8-en-21-oic acidC32H50O6529.35Not availableZou (2019)
153β-acetyloxy-16α,26-dihydroxylanosta-8,24-dien-21-oic acidC32H50O6529.35Not availableZou (2019)
163β,16α-bis(acetyloxy)-29-hydroxylanosta-8,24-dien-21-oic acidC34H52O7571.36Not availableZou (2019)
173β,16α-bis(acetyloxy)-24-methylenelanost-8-en-21-oic acidC35H54O6569.38Not availableZou (2019)
183β,15α-dihydroxy-24-oxolanosta-8-en-21-oic acidC30H48O5487.34Not availableZou (2019)
193α,16α,25-trihydroxylanosta-8,24-dien-21-oic acidC30H48O5487.34Not availableZou (2019)
20Hispindic acid BC31H50O4485.36Not availableZou (2019)
21Daedaleanic acid BC30H48O5487.34Not availableZou (2019)
223-epi-pachymic acidC33H52O5527.37Not availableZou (2019)
2316α-hydroxyeburiconic acidC31H48O4483.35Not availableZou (2019)
2416α-hydroxy-3-oxolanosta-8,24-dien-21-oic acidC30H46O4469.33Not availableZou (2019)
2516α-acetyloxyeburiconic acidC33H50O5525.35Not availableZou (2019)
2616α,29-dihydroxyeburiconic acidC31H48O5499.34Not availableZou (2019)
2716α,25-dihydroxydehydroeburiconic acidC31H48O5499.34Not availableZou (2019)
2816-O-acetylpachymic acidC35H54O6569.38Not availableZou (2019)
2915α-hydroxyeburiconic acidC31H48O4483.34Not availableZou (2019)
30Pinicolic acid EC30H46O4470.68Regulation of glycolipid metabolismChen et al. (2019)
31Pinicolic acid AC30H46O3454.68Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivity, antibacterialChen et al. (2019)
32Ganoderic acidC30H44O7516.66Not availableWang and Wan (1998)
3325-hydroxypachymic acidC33H52O6544.76Not availableZheng and Yang (2008)
3425-hydroxy-3-epitumulosic acidC31H49O5501.72Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EA, cytotoxicity to HL60Akihisa et al. (2009)
3516α,25-dihydroxyeburicoic acidC31H47O5499.7Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EA, cytotoxicity to CRL1579Akihisa et al. (2009)
3616α-hydroxyeburicoic acidC20H28O4332.43Not availableAkihisa et al. (2009)
3715α-hydroxy-3-oxolanosta-8,24-dien-21-oic acidC30H46O4469.33Not availableZou et al. (2019)
383β-ethanoyl-16α,23-dihydroxy-lanosta-8(9),24(25)-diene-21-oic acidC32H50O6553.35Not availableWang (2019)
393β,23-dihydroxy-lanosta-8(9),24(25)-diene-21-oic acidC30H49O4473.36Not availableWang (2019)
403α,16α-dihydroxy-7-oxo-lanosta-5(6),8(9),24(31)-trien-21-oic acidC31H46O5521.32Not availableWang (2019)
41Ceanphytamic acid BC33H53O6545.77AntitumourChen et al. (2018a)
42Ceanphytamic acid AC32H49O6529.73AntitumourChen et al. (2018a)
433-O-formyleburicoic acidNot availableNot availableNot availableHui et al. (2016)
Lanosta-7,9(11)-diene type triterpenes
44Porilactone BC30H45O3453.34Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
45Porilactone AC30H45O3453.33Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
46Poriacosones BC30H46O5485.32Not availableZheng and Yang (2008)
47Poriacosones AC30H46O5485.32Not availableZheng and Yang (2008)
48Polyporenic acid CC31H46O4481.33Regulation of glycolipid metabolism, Cytotoxic to K562, anti-inflammatory, AntitumourZheng and Yang (2008)
49Pinicolic acid FC30H47O6503.34Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
50Dehydrotumulosic acidC31H48O4483.35Anti-inflammatory, inhibition α-glucosidase activityMa et al. (2023)
51Dehydrotrametenonic acidC30H44O3452.67Not availableAkihisa et al. (2004)
52Dehydrotrametenolic acidC30H46O3453.34Anti-inflammatory, antioxidation, inhibition of LDH activityAkihisa et al. (2004)
53Dehydrosulphurenic acidC33H50O6542.74Anti-inflammatoryDong et al. (2015)
54Dehydropachymic acidC33H50O5526.75Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivity, anti-inflammatory, antioxidation, inhibition of LDH activity, AntitumourLi et al. (2017)
55Dehydroeburiconic acidC33H50O5526.75AntitumourTai et al. (1995)
56Dehydroeburicoic acid monoacetateC33H50O4510.75AntitumourLai et al. (2016)
57Dehydroeburicoic acidC33H50O3494.75Anti-inflammatory, AntitumourFu et al. (2018)
586α-hydroxypolyporenic acid CC31H46O5498.69Not availableWang (2019)
596,16α-dihydroxydehydrotrametenonic acidC30H44O5483.31Not availableZou (2019)
606,16α-dihydroxydehydroeburiconic acidC31H46O5497.32Not availableZou (2019)
613β-p-hydroxybenzoyldehydrotumulosic acidC38H52O6603.36Anti-inflammatoryYasukawa et al. (1998)
623β-hydroxy-16α-acetoxy-lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acidC32H48O5511.34Not availableZou et al. (2019)
633β-acetoxylanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acidC32H48O4496.72Cytotoxic to K562Lai et al. (2016)
643β,16α,29-trihydroxy-24-methyllanosta-7,9(11),24(31)-trien-21-oic acidC32H48O5523.33Not availableLai et al. (2016)
653β,16α,30-trihydroxy-24-methyllanosta-7,9(11),24(31)-trien-21-oic acidC32H48O5523.33Not availableLai et al. (2016)
663β-acetoxy-16α,24β-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),25-trien-21-oic acidC32H48O6551.33Not availableLai et al. (2016)
67Lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acidC31H48O2452.71AntitumourLai et al. (2016)
683β,16α-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acidC30H46O4470.68Anti-inflammatoryAkihisa et al. (2004)
693β,16α-dihydroxy-24-hydroxymethyllanosta-7,9(11)-dien-21-oic acidC31H50O5501.35Not availableZou (2019)
703β,15α-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),24-triene-21-oic acidC31H48O4484.71Not availableDong et al. (2015)
713-O-acetyl-16α-hydroxy-dehydrotrametenolic acidC32H48O5511.34Not availableTai et al. (1995)
723-epidehydrotumulosic acidC31H48O4484.71Not availableTai et al. (1995)
733-epidehydropachymic acidC31H48O4484.71Inhibition α-glucosidase activityMa et al. (2023)
743,15-O-diacetyl-dehydrotrametenolic AcidC34H50O6577.35Not availableChen et al. (2019)
7529-hydroxypolyporenic acid CC31H46O5498.69Not availableZheng and Yang (2008)
7629-hydroxydehydrotumulosic acidC31H48O5499.34Anti-inflammatoryCai and Cai (2011)
7729-hydroxydehydropachymic acidC33H50O6541.35Anti-inflammatoryCai and Cai (2011)
7825-hydroxy-3-epi-dehydrotumulosic acidC32H50O5514.73Not availableTai et al. (1995)
7925,26-dihydroxydehydropachymic acidC33H50O7557.34Not availableZou (2019)
8016α-hydroxydehydrotrametenolic acidC30H46O4469.33Not availableZou (2019)
8116α-hydroxydehydrotrametenonic acidC30H44O4467.31Not availableZou (2019)
8216α-hydroxydehydropachymic acidC33H50O6542.74Anti-inflammatoryNukaya et al. (1996)
8316α-hydroxy-3-oxolanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acidC30H44O4468.67Not availableChen et al. (2019)
8416α-acetyloxy- 24-methylene-3-oxolanosta-7,9(11)-dien-21-oic acidC33H48O5523.34Not availableZou et al. (2019)
8516α,27-dihydroxydehydrotrametenoic acidC30H46O5485.33Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EAAkihisa et al. (2009)
8616α,25-dihydroxydehydroeburiconic acidC31H46O5497.33Not availableZou (2019)
8716-hydroxy-3,24-dioxolanosta-7,9(11)-dien-21-oic acidC30H44O5483.31Not availableZou (2019)
8815α-hydroxydehydrotumulosic acidC31H48O5499.34Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EAAkihisa et al. (2007)
8915α-hydroxydehydrotrametenolic acidC30H46O4469.33Not availableZou (2019)
90Poricoic acid ZIC30H43O6499.31Not availableWang (2019)
91Poricoic acid ZEC30H46O4493.33Anti-renal fibrosisWang (2019)
92Poricoic acid ZLC30H47O5487.34Not availableWang (2019)
933-O-formyl-dehydrotrametenolic acidNot availableNot availableNot availableHui et al. (2016)
3,4-seco-lanostan-8-ene type triterpenes
94Poricoic acid GC30H46O5485.33Cytotoxicity to HL60Mizushina et al. (2004)
95Poricoic acid GMC31H47O5499.7Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EAAkihisa et al. (2009)
96Poricoic acid HC31H48O5499.34Cytotoxicity to HL60Mizushina et al. (2004)
97Poricoic acid HMC32H49O5513.73Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EAAkihisa et al. (2009)
9825-hydroxyporicoic acid HC30H48O6504.7Not availableAkihisa et al. (2007)
99Poricoic acid GEC30H46O5486.68Not availableDong et al. (2015)
100Poricoic acid ZAC30H46O6502.68Anti-renal fibrosisWang et al. (2017)
101Poricoic acid ZJC31H48O5523.34Not availableWang (2019)
102Poricoic acid ZKC31H47O4483.34Not availableWang (2019)
103Poricoic acid ZRC31H48O6539.33Not availableWang (2019)
10425-methoxy-29-hydroxyporicoic acid HMC33H52O7559.36Not availableZou (2019)
3,4-seco-lanostan-7,9(11)-diene type triterpenes
105Poricoic acid AC31H46O5497.32Antitumour, inhibition α-glucosidase and activityMa et al. (2023)
106Poricoic acid AMC32H48O5512.72Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EATai et al. (1993)
10725-methoxyporicoic acid AC32H48O6527.33Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EA, AntitumourAkihisa et al. (2009)
108Poricoic acid BC30H44O5483.31Antitumour, inhibition α-glucosidase activityMa et al. (2023)
10925-hydroxyporicoic acid CC31H45O5497.68Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EA, cytotoxicity to HL60Akihisa et al. (2009)
110Poricoic acid DMC32H48O6527.33Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EATai et al. (1993)
11126-hydroxyporicoic acid DMC32H48O7544.72Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EAAkihisa et al. (2009)
112Poricoic acid CC31H46O4481.33Inhibition α-glucosidase activityMa et al. (2023)
11316-deoxyporicoic acid BC30H44O4467.32AntitumourAkihisa et al. (2007)
114Poricoic acid CMC32H48O4496.72Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EAAkihisa et al. (2007)
115Poricoic acid DC31H46O6513.32Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityTai et al. (1993)
116Poricoic acid AEC33H50O5526.75Not availableYang et al. (2009)
117Poricoic acid CEC33H50O4510.75Not availableYang et al. (2009)
118Poricoic acid LC31H46O7553.31Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
119Poricoic acid BMC31H46O5498.69Not availableTai et al. (1995)
120Poricoic acid EC30H44O6500.67Not availableTai et al. (1995)
121Poricoic acid FC30H47O6503.34Not availableChen et al. (2019)
12216α-hydroxy-3,4-secolanosta-4(28),7,11(9),24(31),25(27)-pentaene- 3,21-dioic acidC31H44O5495.31Not availableDong et al. (2017)
12316α-hydroxy-3,4-seco-lanosta-4(28),8,24-triene-3,21-dioic acid-3-ethyl esterC32H50O5513.36Not availableDong et al. (2017)
12416α-hydroxy-3,4-seco-lanosta-4(28),7(9),11,24-tetraene-3,21-dioic acid-3-ethyl esterC32H48O5511.34Not availableDong et al. (2017)
125Poricoic acid IC31H47O6515.33Regulation of glycolipid metabolismChen et al. (2019)
126Poricoic acid JC31H47O7531.33Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
127Poricoic acid JMC32H49O7545.34Regulation of glycolipid metabolismChen et al. (2019)
128Poricoic acid KC31H47O7533.34Regulation of glycolipid metabolismChen et al. (2019)
129Poricoic acid MC30H46O7541.31Regulation of glycolipid metabolismChen et al. (2019)
130Poricoic acid NC31H48O8571.32Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
13116-deoxyporicoic acid BMC31H47O4483.35Not availableChen et al. (2019)
132Poricoic acid OC31H48O8571.32Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
133Poricoic acid ZBC31H46O7553.31Not availableWang (2019)
134Poricoic acid ZCC30H44O6523.3Anti-renal fibrosisWang (2019)
135Poricoic acid ZDC31H47O7531.33Anti-renal fibrosisWang (2019)
136Poricoic acid ZGC30H46O6525.31AntifibroticChen et al. (2019)
137Poricoic acid ZMC30H46O6525.31Not availableWang (2019)
138Poricoic acid ZOC31H44O4503.31Not availableWang (2019)
139Poricoic acid ZPC31H45O6513.32Not availableWang (2019)
140Poricoic acid ZNC31H46O5521.32Not availableWang (2019)
141Poricoic acid ZVC30H46O4493.33Not availableWang (2019)
142Poricoic acid ZQC32H48O6551.33Not availableWang (2019)
Other type triterpenes
143Β-amyrin acetateC32H52O2468.75Not availableWang and Wan (1998)
144Α-amyrin acetateC32H52O2468.75Not availableYang et al. (2019)
145Oleanolic acid 3-O-acetateC32H50O4498.73Not availableYang et al. (2019)
146Oleanolic acidC30H48O3456.7Not availableDianpeng et al. (1998)
147Daedaleanic acid FC31H43O4479.31Regulation of glycolipid metabolismChen et al. (2019)
148Daedaleanic acid EC30H42O4489.3Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
149Daedaleanic acid DC31H45O4481.33Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
150Daedaleanic acid AC31H46O4482.69Stimulating glucose uptake and improving insulin sensitivityChen et al. (2019)
151Coriacoic acid DC35H52O7584.78Not availableLee et al. (2017b)
152Coriacoic acid CC35H50O5550.77Not availableLee et al. (2017b)
153Coriacoic acid BC35H52O6568.78Not availableLee et al. (2017b)
154Coriacoic acid AC33H48O4508.73Not availableLee et al. (2017b)
1556,7-dehydroporicoic acid HC31H45O5497.68Inhibition of TPA-induced EBV-EAAkihisa et al. (2009)
1565α,8α-peroxydehydrotumulosic acidC31H46O6513.32Not availableAkihisa et al. (2007)
1573β-acetyloxy-16α-hydroxy-24-methy-lenelanosta-5,7(9),11-tetraene-21-oic acidC33H48O5523.34Not availableDong et al. (2017)
1583-acetoxy oleanolic acidC32H52O4500.75Not availableYang et al. (2014)
15916α-hydroxy-3-oxo-24-methyllanosta-5,7,9(11),24(31)-tetraen-21-oic acidC31H44O4503.31Not availableLai et al. (2016)

Triterpenoids from Wolfiporia cocos.

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 5

2.3 Sterols

Sterol metabolites are a class of steroids, all of which have cyclopentane dihydrophenanthrene as their basic structure and are steroids containing hydroxyl groups (Yalcinkaya et al., 2024). Sterol metabolites mainly contain ergosterol and pregnancy sterols (Chen et al., 2018b). The representative metabolites of ergosterols mainly include ergosta-7.22-dien-3β-ol,ce-revisterol,ergosta-7-en-3β-ol (Jinming et al., 2001), β-sitosterol (Tong et al., 2010) and stigmas-terol (Ni et al., 2019). Representative metabolites of pregnancy sterols include pregn-7-ene-2β,3a,15a,20-tetrol and pregna-7-en-3a,11a,15a,20-quad-roil (Chen et al., 2018b). Details are provided in Table 3.

TABLE 3

Chemical componentsFormulaMolecular massReferences
ErgosterolC28H44O396.65Yaoita et al. (2002)
(22E) -ergosta-5, 7, 9(11),22-tetraen-3β-olC28H44O396.65Yaoita et al. (2002)
Ergosta-5, 7-dien-3β-olC28H44O396.65Yaoita et al. (2002)
(22E) -ergosta-8(14),22-dien-3β-olC28H46O398.66Yaoita et al. (2002)
(22E) -ergosta-6, 8(14),22-trien-3β-olC28H44O396.65Yaoita et al. (2002)
(22E) -ergosta-7, 22-dien-3β-olC28H46O398.66Yaoita et al. (2002)
Ergost-7-en-3β-olC28H48O400.68Yaoita et al. (2002)
Ergosterol peroxideC28H44O3428.65Li et al. (2004)
Pregn-7-ene-2β, 3α, 15α, 20-tetrolC21H34O4350.49Chen et al. (2018b)
3β,5α-dihydroxy-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-oneC28H46O3430.66Yang et al. (2014)
3β,5α,9α-trihydroxy-ergosta-7,22-diene-6oneC28H46O4446.66Yang et al. (2014)
Ergosta-7,22-diene-3-oneC28H44O396.65Yang et al. (2014)
6,9-epoxy-ergosta-7,22-diene-3-olC28H46O2414.66Yang et al. (2014)
Ergosta-4,22-diene-3oneC28H46O398.66Yang et al. (2014)
Ergosta-5,6-epoxy-7,22-dien-3-olC28H46O2414.66Yang et al. (2014)
Preg-7-ene-2β,3α,15α,20-tetrolC21H31O4347.47Tong et al. (2010)
Β-sitosterolC31H52O2456.74Tong et al. (2010)
9,11 - dehydroergosterol peroxideC28H44O3428.65Lee et al. (2018)

Sterols from Wolfiporia cocos.

2.4 Other ingredients

In addition to polysaccharides, triterpenoids, and sterols, there are also some other types of chemical metabolites in Wolfiporia cocos. Such as tricyclic diterpenes (Shen et al., 2012) and sohiracillinone (Chen et al., 2018a). Organic acids and their esters include protocatechuic acid, palmitic acid, ethyl palmitate, methyl palmitate, trimethyl citrate, dimethyl(R)-malate, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, octadecanoic acid, octacosyl acid and pentacosanoic acid (Yang et al., 2019). In addition, 51 proteins were isolated and identified from the fermentation broth of Wolfiporia cocos. Some studies have found that volatile oil metabolites from Wolfiporia cocos (Jie et al., 2014) contain abundant trace elements required by the human body, such as iron, zinc, manganese, potassium, sodium, selenium, calcium and phosphorus. Among them, iron has the highest content, followed by zinc and manganese (Xi and Zhang, 2022).

3 Pharmacological mechanism of active ingredients in Wolfiporia cocos

3.1 Antitumour activity

A large number of studies have found that the anticancer effect of the active ingredients in Wolfiporia cocos on lung cancer (Jiang and Duanmu, 2021), breast cancer (Jeong et al., 2015), gastric cancer (Lu et al., 2018), liver cancer (Huang et al., 2006), pancreatic cancer (Cheng et al., 2013), and kidney cancer (Li et al., 2024) may inhibit tumor cell proliferation and metastasis and induce tumor cell apoptosis by regulating some signal pathways and the expression level of tumor-related cytokines.

Recent pharmacological studies have uncovered the antitumor mechanisms associated with bioactive components derived from Wolfiporia cocos. Pachymic acid (PA) has been shown to disrupt tumor cell architecture and induce apoptosis in renal tumor cells via upregulation of tumor protein p53-inducible nuclear protein 2 (TP53INP2) and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), alongside activation of pro-apoptotic pathways involving caspase-8, caspase-3, and PARP (Li et al., 2024). Chen et al. (2015) demonstrated that PA inhibits migration and invasion of gallbladder cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner by downregulating tumor-associated proteins including PCNA, ICAM-1, RhoA, p-Akt, and p-ERK1/2, mediated through inhibition of the AKT and ERK pathways. Ling et al. (2011) showed that PA suppresses invasion and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway and MMP-9 activity. Wang et al. (2022) demonstrated that PA inhibits gastric cancer (GC) cell viability and proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. This reduction in GC cell adhesion effectively hampers metastasis and invasion. PA also significantly alters the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Vimentin, while concurrently decreasing the levels of metastasis-related proteins, including matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, along with tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 1.

Chen et al. (2022) demonstrated that poricoic acid A (PAA) exhibits significant therapeutic effects on T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Both in vitro and in vivo models showed that PAA markedly reduced T-ALL cell viability, induced G2 phase cell cycle arrest, and triggered apoptosis by exacerbating mitochondrial dysfunction and generating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, PAA was found to induce autophagy and ferroptosis in T-ALL cells by regulating the AMPK/mTOR and LC3 signaling pathways, thus amplifying its therapeutic effects. Ma et al. (2021a) reported that PAA triggers apoptosis in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells through mitochondrial and death receptor pathways in a concentration-dependent manner. Its antitumor mechanisms involve inhibition of the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway, an increase in LC3-I and LC3-II protein levels, activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9, and modulation of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic protein expression.

Jiang et al. (2022) discovered that Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides can dose-dependently inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells and suppress the migration and invasion of A549 cells by downregulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 through inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, neutral polysaccharide metabolites (Chen and Chang, 2004) and triterpenoids (Ukiya et al., 2002) isolated from Wolfiporia cocos have been reported to inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of HL-60 human leukemia cells. Lin et al. (Lin et al., 2020) discovered that the fucose-containing mannoglucan polysaccharide (FMGP) extracted from Wolfiporia cocos significantly inhibits the metastasis of CL1-5 lung cancer cells. FMGP achieves this by inhibiting the TGFβ RI/FAK/AKT signaling pathway and reducing the expression of the metastasis-associated protein Slug. Table 4 summarizes the antitumor bioactivities of Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

TABLE 4

Model usedExtracts metabolitesCancer typeCell lineHuman/Mice cellActivitiesDose range testedDurationMinimal active concentrationControlSample sourcesReferences
In vivo/In vitroPoricoic acid ALeukemiaT-ALLHuman↑ROS, ↑MDA, ↓GSH.In vivo: low dose of PAA (5 mg/kg) and high dose of PAA (10 mg/kg), In vitro:1.25 μM–50 μMIn vivo-4 weeks In vitro-24 hIC50: JURKAT: 4.31 μM
MOLT-3: 10.73 μM
ALL-SIL: 8.89 μM
RPMI-8402: 11.21 μM
NegativeWolfiporia cocos surface layerChen et al. (2022)
In vitroPachymic acidBladder CancerEJHuman↑PARP, ↑ROS, ↑DR5, ↑Bax, ↓Bcl-20 μM–30 μM24 h20 μMNegativeJeong et al. (2015)
In vitroPachymic acidNasopharyngeal CarcinomaCNE-1/CNE-2Human↑p-ATM, ↑p-ATR, ↑P-Chk-1, ↑P-Chk-20 μM–30 μM72 hCNE-1: 13.2 μM CNE-2: 4.8 μMNegativeZhang et al. (2017)
In vitroPachymic acidGallbladder CancerGBC-SDHuman↓PCNA, ↓RhoA, ↓ICAM-1, ↓p-ERK1/210 µg/mL-50 μg/mL48 h10 μg/mLNegativeChen et al. (2015)
In vivo/In vitroPachymic acidLung CancerNCI-H23/NCI-H460Human↑ROS, ↑JNK, ↑ER.In vivo:10, 30, 60 mg/kg, In vitro:0 μM–160 μMIn vivo-3weeks(5 day/week) In vitro-24 h20 µMNegativeMa et al. (2015)
In vitroPolyporenic acid CLung CancerA549Human↓PI3-kinase/Akt0 μM–200 μM72 h6 μMNegativePoria cocos mushroom kernelLing et al. (2009)
In vitroPoricoic acid A/BLiver CancerHepG2Human↑ROS, ↓COX-2. ↓CDK1, ↓MMP-90 µg/mL-100 μg/mL72 h25 μg/mLPositiveWolfiporia cocos surface layerYue et al. (2023)
In vivoPolysaccharide derivativesLiver CancerHepG2/S-180Human↑Bax, ↓Bcl-220 mg/kg8days0.005 mg/mLNegativeWolfiporia cocos myceliaHuang et al. (2006)
In vitroPachymic acidCervical CarcinomaCaskiHuman↓CyclinD1, ↓TRIM9, ↓GSK-3β, ↓C-Myc0 μmol/L-20.0 μmol/L48 h2.5 μmol/LNegativeWolfiporia cocos mushroom kernelShen and Weng (2020)
In vitroPachymic acidOsteosarcomaHOSHuman↑PTEN, ↓p-Akt0 μg/mL-50 μg/mL72 h10 μg/mLNegativeWen et al. (2018)
In vitroPachymic acidOvarian CancerHO-8910Human↑E-cadherin, ↓COX-2, ↓ β-catenin0.5μM–2 μM72 h0.5 μMNegativeGao et al. (2015)
In vivo/In vitroPoricoic acid AOvarian CancerSKOV3Human↑LC3-I, ↑LC3-II.In vivo:10 mg/kg,In vitro: 0 μg/mL-80 μg/mLIn vivo-6weeks In vitro-24 h30 μg/mLNegativeMa et al. (2021b)
In vitroPachymic acidProstate CancerLNCaP/DU145Human↓Bad, ↓Bcl-20 μg/mL-40 μg/mL48 h10 μg/mLNegativeWolfiporia cocos mushroom kernelGapter et al. (2005)
In vitroPolysaccharideBreast CancerMDA-MB-231Human↓SATB150 mg/L-200 mg/L20 h100 mg/LNegativeHu et al. (2019)
In vitroPachymic acidBreast CancerMDA-MB-231/MCF-7Human↓PMA, ↓MMP-90 μM–30 μM48 hNegativeLing et al. (2011)
In vivo/In vitroPachymic acidBreast CancerMDA-MB-231Human↑PARP, ↓CyclinD1, ↓CDK2, ↓CDK4, ↓Bcl-2/BaxIn vivo:700 mg/kg, In vitro: 5 μg/mL-150 μg/mLIn vivo-25 days In vitro-96 h5 μg/mLNegative/Positivethe ethanol extract of Wolfiporia cocosJiang and Fan (2020)
In vitroPachymic acidSquamous Carcinoma Of TongueCAL-27Human↑PARP, ↓CyclinD1, ↓CDK2, ↓CXCR42 μmol/L-8 μmol/L48 h2 μmol/LNegativeFan et al. (2021)
In vivo/InvitroPachymic acidKidney CancerA498Human↑TP53INP2, ↑TRAF6In vivo: 30/60 mg/kg, Invitro: 0 μM–80 μMIn vivo-28 days In vitro-72 h20 μMNegativeLi et al. (2024)
In vitroPachymic acidGastric CancerHuman↓MMP2, ↓MMP-9, ↓TIMP10 μmol/L-160 μmol/L28 h20 μmol/LNegativeWang et al. (2022)
In vivo/In vitroPachymic acidGastric CancerMKN-49P/SGC-7901Human↑PPAR, ↓JAK2, ↓HIF1α, ↓Bcl-2/Bax, ↓STAT3In vivo: 60 μM, In vitro: 60 mg/kgIn vivo-10 days In vitro-48 hNegativeLu et al. (2018)
In vitroPachymic acid polyporenic acid C Dehydropachymic acidPancreatic CancerPANC-1/MIA PaCa-2/AsPc-1/BxPc-3Human↓KRAS, ↓MMP-70 µg/mL-80 μg/mL72 hPanc-1: 24.5 μg/mL
MiaPaca-2: 23.0 μg/mL
AsPc-1: 11.3 μg/mL
BxPc-3: 1.0 μg/mL
NegativeWolfiporia cocos mushroom kernelCheng et al. (2013)
In vivo/In vitroPachymic acidPancreatic CancerPANC-1/MIA PaCa-2Human↑XBP-1s, ↑ATF4, ↑Hsp70, ↑CHOP, ↑p-eIF2αIn vivo: 25/50 mg/kg, In vitro: 0 μM–30 μMIn vivo-5weeks In vitro-24 h15 μMNegativeCheng et al. (2015)
In vitroDehydroeburicoic acidOvarian CancerA2780Human↓MAPKs - caspase310–100 μM24 hPositiveWolfiporia cocos mushroom kernelLee et al. (2017a)

Antitumor activities in Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

3.2 Regulation of intestinal flora

The gut microbiota is the largest microbial community in the host’s body, known as the 'invisible organ of the human body'. The metabolic capacity of the human gut microbiota is an important factor in affecting nutrient absorption, immune regulation, the maintenance of health and the triggering of disease (Miao et al., 2016). Studies have demonstrated that carboxymethyl Poria polysaccharides (CMP) extracted from Wolfiporia cocos significantly mitigate colon damage induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). This protective effect is associated with the inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, an increase in the levels of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH Px), and glutathione (GSH), as well as a reduction in the expression of pro-inflammatory markers such as NF-κB, p-p38, and Bax. Simultaneously, CMP enhances the expression of the antioxidant factors Nrf2 and Bcl-2. Moreover, CMP is effective in ameliorating gut microbiota dysbiosis caused by 5-FU, promoting an increase in the proportions of beneficial taxa such as Bacteroidetes, lactobacilli, butyrate-producing bacteria, and acetate-producing bacteria, while restoring overall gut microbiota diversity (Wang et al., 2018). Another investigation indicated that CMP can alleviate the cytotoxic effects of 5-FU, while concurrently enhancing the expression of tight junction proteins and related adhesion molecules, thus strengthening the intestinal barrier against GC (Yin et al., 2022). Yu et al. (2022) reported that Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) alleviate Chronic Non-Bacterial Prostatitis by modulating gut microbiota. Notably, after fermentation by the human gut microbiota, there was significant enrichment of Parabacterioides, Fusicatenibacter, and Parasutterella. These bacteria metabolize PCP to produce Haloperidol glucuronide and 7-ketodeoxycholic acid, which promote the expression of Alox15 and Pla2g2f in colon epithelium, while downregulating Cyp1a1 and Hsd17b7, thereby inhibiting inflammatory responses. This suggests that the metabolites Haloperidol glucuronide and 7-ketodeoxycholic acid may act as signaling molecules within the gut-prostate axis.

Lai et al. (2022) found that the water-soluble polysaccharide (PCX), water-insoluble polysaccharide (PCY) and triterpenoid saponin (PCZ) in Poria cocos can increase the number of lactobacilli in the intestine and change the content of short chain peptides in intestinal metabolites. Another study found that PCX, alkali soluble polysaccharide and triterpenoid acids have a protective effect on cisplatin induced intestinal injury, mainly by reducing the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as Proteus mirabilis, cyanobacteria, ruminococcaceae and spirobacteriaceae, and promoting the growth of probiotics such as erysipelotticaae and prevotelacae (Zou et al., 2021). Lai et al. (2023) found that PCX can lower levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β, decrease the infiltration of inflammatory cells, and improve intestinal mucosal integrity and barrier function. This was achieved by increasing the relative abundance of beneficial gut microbiota and reducing harmful microbial populations, as manifested by elevated short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs) levels.

Xu et al. (2019) found through experiments that 16α - hydroxytrametinoic acid extracted from Wolfiporia cocos activates glucocorticoid receptor agonists, inhibits the activation of PI3K and Akt, to reduce the phosphorylation of downstream IκB and NF-κB, effectively alleviate TNF - α induced barrier damage in Caco-2 monolayer intestinal epithelial cells. This provides an improved strategy for adjuvant dietary therapy to restore intestinal health. Duan et al. (2023) upregulated the expression of intestinal Occludin and ZO-1, downregulated serum endotoxin, DAO, D-lactate, and intestinal myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels by extracting PCP, enhanced intestinal physical barrier, and increased the expression of MUC2, β-resistin, and SIgA in intestinal tissue, to enhance intestinal biochemical barrier. This indicates that PCP can be used as a functional food to regulate intestinal mucosal function, thereby improving the health of the intestine and host. Moreover, research has found that PCP can not only improve intestinal mucosal barrier function but also increase the diversity of intestinal microbiota to improve antibiotic associated diarrhea in mice (Xu et al., 2023). Table 5 summarizes the bioactivities of Wolfiporia cocos extraction in regulating of intestinal flora.

TABLE 5

Model usedExtracts metabolitesCell line/ModelHuman/Mice cellActivitiesDose range testedDurationControlReferences
In vivoCarboxymethylated pachymanColon cancer CT26MiceIncreases the proportion of Bacteroidetes, lactobacilli, butyrate producing bacteria, acetate producing bacteria and SCFAs levels25 mg/kg14 daysNegative/PositiveWang et al. (2018)
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesApcMin/+ miceIncreases intercellular adhesion protein complexes and beneficial bacteria and reduces potentially pathogenic bacteria40 mg/kg4 weeksNegative/PositiveYin et al. (2022)
In vivoWater-insoluble polysaccharideC57BL/6MiceIncrease in norank_f__Muribaculaceae, unclassified_f__Lachnospiraceae abundance and SCFAs. decrease in Escherichia - Shigella, Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter300 mg/kg10 daysNegativeLai et al. (2023)
In vivo/In vitroPoria cocos polysaccharidesSprague-Dawley miceIncrease Parabacteroides, Fusicatenibacter and ParasutterellaIn vivo: 250 mg/kg In vitro: Male fecal fermentationIn vivo: 28 days In vitro: 8 hNegativeYu et al. (2022)
In vivoWater-soluble polysaccharides, Water-insoluble polysaccharides, Triterpenoid saponinsIncrease lactic acid bacteria and SCFAs levelsPCX: 300 mg/kg, PCY: 300 mg/kg, PCZ: 150 mg/kg15 daysNegativeLai et al. (2022)
In vivoPoria powder, Water - soluble polysaccharides, Alkali - soluble polysaccharides, Triterpene acidsC57BL/6MiceDecrease in Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Ruminococcaceae and Helicobacteraceae. Increase in Erysipelotrichaceae and PrevotellaceaePP: 2.0 g/kg, WP: 7.6 mg/kg, AP: 1.3 g/kg, TA: 6.0 mg/kg13 daysNegativeZou et al. (2021)
In vitro16α - Hydroxytrametenolic acidCaco – 2/293T/RAW 264.7MiceInhibition of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway10 μM–80 μM24 hNegative/PositiveXu et al. (2019)

Regulation of intestinal flora activities in Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

3.3 Antioxidation activity

Oxidation refers to the chemical reaction process between substances and oxygen, oxidative stress is a pathological state in which the redox homeostasis of an organism is imbalanced. It arises from the excessive production of reactive nitrogen species and ROS by the organism when subjected to external or internal stimuli, thereby breaking the original dynamic balance mechanism (Tabei et al., 2023). There are reports proving that supplementing exogenous antioxidants can eliminate free radicals and delay disease progression (Rahbari et al., 2015). However, artificially synthesized antioxidants are harmful to human health, such as liver damage and gout (Wang et al., 2016). Therefore, in this era of pursuing health and wellness, it is necessary to develop natural antioxidants to replace the current artificially synthesized antioxidants.

Recent experimental results have shown that the antioxidant capacity of hydroxymethyl PCP derivatives (PCP-C1, PCP-C2, PCP-C3) is directly related to the degree of carboxymethylation. The results showed that these derivatives possessed free radical scavenging and ferrous ion chelating efficacy, among which PCP-C3 protected renal cells from oxalate-induced oxidative damage, increased cell viability and antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced the accumulation of harmful oxidative stress products. This suggests that PCP-C3 is a potential anticholinergic drug with great potential (Li CY. et al., 2021). Zhao et al. (2020) found that PCP effectively alleviated oxidative stress induced by oxidised low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) by decreasing ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in vascular smooth muscle cells, while increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. By activating the ERK1/2 signalling pathway, the translocation of Nrf2 and the expression of heme oxygenase-1 were promoted, and the upregulation of Lectin-like oxidised LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) was inhibited to reduce the uptake of oxLDL, which enhanced the antioxidant capacity of the cells. Fang et al. (2021) found that Wolfiporia cocos extract significantly reduced oxidative stress caused by ROS such as hydrogen peroxide, thereby inhibiting the activity of matrix metalloproteinases and reducing the degradation of collagen. At the same time, it can also upregulate the level of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), promote the regeneration and repair of skin cells, enhance the expression of antioxidant related proteins, and further enhance the antioxidant capacity of skin. This indicates that Wolfiporia cocos extract effectively delays the process of skin aging, providing the strong scientific basis for the development of new anti-aging cosmetics.

Wu et al. (2020) demonstrated through experiments that PCP has significant reducing and good scavenging abilities against DPPH, superoxide anions and hydroxyl radical and may be one of the main material bases for its antioxidant properties. Tang et al. (2014) found that PCP derivatives (PCP-1, PCP-2, and PCP-3) exhibit the ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals and ABTS radicals, and they function through chelation of ferrous ions, thereby reducing the concentration of free ferrous ions and inhibiting oxidative stress responses. Xu et al. (2020) found that Wolfiporia cocos, an ingredient in Bajitianwan (BJTW), can reduce malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the brain while simultaneously increasing the concentrations of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH Px) in serum. This dual action not only mitigates oxidative stress but also facilitates the upregulation of Forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) expression in bone tissue and enhances the levels of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), thereby providing protection to both the bone and nervous system from oxidative damage. This suggests that BJTW has great potential in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis. Table 6 summarizes the bioactivities of Wolfiporia cocos extraction in antioxidation.

TABLE 6

Model usedExtracts metabolitesCell line/ModelHuman/Mice cellActivitiesDose range testedDurationControlReferences
In vitroCarboxymethylated, Poria cocos polysaccharidesScavenging free radicals and chelating ferrous ions20 μg/mL-100 μg/mL24 hNegative/PositiveLi et al. (2021a)
In vitroPoria cocos polysaccharidesVSMCsHumanInhibition of oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced oxidative stress50 μg/mL-200 μg/mL24 hNegativeZhao et al. (2020)
In vitroPoria cocos polysaccharidesHs68HumanScavenging of DPPH, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals100 μg/mL-400 μg/mL24 hNegativeWu et al. (2020)
In vitroPoria cocos polysaccharidesScavenging hydroxyl radicals, ABTS radicals and chelating ferrous ions1 mg/mL 10 mg/mL4 hNegative/PositiveTang et al. (2014)

Antioxidant activities in Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

3.4 Anti-inflammatory activity

Inflammatory responses are known to be present in various disease processes. A study reported that CMP could regulate the balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in intestinal tissues by decreasing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and increasing the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, TGF-β), significantly preventing inflammatory bowel disease in mice (Liu et al., 2018). Song et al. (2018) found that PCP inhibits RANKL induced osteoclastogenesis by suppressing the activity of NFATc1 and the phosphorylation of ERK and STAT3. This suggests that PCP prevents and attenuates pathological fractures caused by bone resorption by interfering with the signalling pathway, decreasing osteoclast differentiation, and reducing bone resorption. Wu et al. (2022) established a fungal infection-induced peritonitis (FIP) mouse model and observed that polysaccharide compounds significantly alleviated inflammatory infiltration and cellular apoptosis in the thymus and spleen tissues. This effect is attributed to the reduction of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, effectively ameliorating the inflammatory response. Additionally, PCP was found to decrease the levels of oxidative stress markers, including malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), thereby mitigating oxidative damage. Wang et al. (2024) established a mouse model of bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis and found that PA inhibited BLM-induced increases in NLRP3, ASC, IL-1 β, P20, and TXNIP, decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL -6 and TNF- α), and increased the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in mouse lung tissue. It also reduced the levels of hydroxyproline and MDA in lung tissue and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase.

Li W. et al. (2021) explored the potential protective mechanism of PCP on compulsory spondylitis by establishing in the ApoE−/− mice model induced by high-fat diet, and found that PCP can inhibit the increase of serum inflammatory mediators and blood lipids. Through experiments, it was found that PCP can significantly reduce the release of inflammatory mediators TNF - α, IL-6, and NO in serum, thereby protecting blood vessels from inflammatory invasion and reducing the elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol in blood lipids. It also inhibits the activation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway in the aorta and blocks the expression of MMP-2 and ICAM-1. This indicates that PCP can intervene in ankylosing spondylitis by reducing inflammatory factors and blood lipid levels. Gui et al. (2021) conducted experiments by establishing a mouse model of fecal - induced peritonitis. They discovered that PA effectively ameliorated the pathological changes in the lung tissue of rats with pneumonia. This was achieved by inhibiting the activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, thereby reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines. Simultaneously, PA could also inhibit cell apoptosis, which further protected the damaged tissues and promoted the resolution of inflammation. These findings revealed the therapeutic potential of PA in inflammatory diseases and provided a scientific basis for the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs. Wu et al. (2023b) established a mouse model of osteoarthritis (OA) and found that PA promotes the expression of SIRT6, which inhibits the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. This modulation leads to a reduction in the production of inflammatory mediators such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), as well as the suppression of IL-1β-induced inflammatory responses. Additionally, PA was found to reverse the abnormal upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-3 and platelet-activating factor-5 in OA chondrocytes, while also downregulating the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan. These findings indicate that PA holds significant potential for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Table 7 summarizes the bioactivities of Wolfiporia cocos extraction in anti-inflammatory.

TABLE 7

Model usedExtracts metabolitesCell line/ModelHuman/Mice cellActivitiesDose range testedDurationControlReferences
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesFIPReduction TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β levels200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg21 daysNegativeWu et al. (2022)
In vivoPachymic AcidBLMDecreases IL-6 and IL-1β levels. Increases IL-10 levels25, 50,100 mg/kg28 daysNegative/PositiveWang et al. (2024)
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesHFDReduction TNF-α, IL-6, and NO levels100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg11weeksNegativeLi et al. (2021b)
In vivo/In vitroPachymic acidOsteoarthritis in miceReduction NO, PGE2, TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, COX-2 releaseIn vivo: 50 mg/kg, in vitro: 20 μMIn vivo: 8weeks, In vitro:48 hNegativeWu et al. (2023b)
In vitrocoriacoic acid A, coriacoic acid B, dehydroeburiconic acid, eburicoic acid, poricoic acid CRAW 264.7MiceInhibition of iNOS, COX-2 and NF-κB protein levels and reduction of LPS-induced phosphorylation of IKKα and IκBα50 μM–100 μM24 hNegative/PositiveLee et al. (2017b)

Anti-inflammatory activities in Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

3.5 Immunomodulation activity

Wolfiporia cocos has immunomodulatory effects, and its extract can be used as a natural immune agent. There are reports indicating that PCP can increase NO by activating the Ca (2+)/PKC/p38/NF - κ B signalling pathway, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and intracellular calcium level, thereby enhancing the immune response of RAW 264.7 macrophages (Pu et al., 2019). Liu et al. (2021) found that Wolfiporia cocos derivatives CMP-1 and CMP-2 have a triple helix structure, which can improve the secretion of NO, TNF - α, and IL-6 by increasing the expression of iNOS, TNF–α and IL-6 mRNA, and enhance the immune function of RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Liu et al. (2020) established a model of anthrax protective antigen (APA) by extracting polysaccharide PCP-I from Wolfiporia cocos as an immune adjuvant. They found that PCP-I not only significantly enhanced anthrax specific anti APA antibodies, toxin neutralizing antibodies, anti-APA antibody affinity, as well as IgG1 and IgG2a levels, but also increased the frequency of APA specific memory B cells, increased the proliferation of PA specific spleen cells, significantly stimulated IL-4 secretion, enhanced the activation of dendritic cells in vitro, and improved the survival rate of mice immunized with anthrax lethal toxins. This indicates that polysaccharide PCP-I extracted from Wolfiporia cocos can activate immune signalling pathways, trigger immune synergy, and provide more effective immune responses. PCP-I is a very promising immune adjuvant. Chao et al. (2021) discovered that tumulosic acid, poronic acid C, and three-epi dehydrotumulosic acid—components of lanostane triterpenoids extracted from Wolfiporia cocos—can significantly stimulate the secretion of IFN-γ by mouse spleen cells. Concurrently, these lanostane triterpenoids activate natural killer cells, enhancing non-specific (innate) immunity and promoting the Th1 immune response, which leads to increased IFN-γ secretion. Additionally, they reduce the secretion of IL-4 and IL-5, cytokines associated with allergic reactions and the Th2 immune response. This research demonstrates that extracts from Wolfiporia cocos have the ability to modulate the Th1/Th2 immune response, potentially reducing the incidence of allergic diseases and positioning them as promising candidates for the development of anti-allergic therapies.

Liu et al. (2022) found that PCP significantly increased the activity of four enzymes related to immunity and energy metabolism (phenoloxidase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, hexokinase, and fatty acid synthase), thereby significantly enhancing the cellular immunity of silkworms, including the ability of hemocyte phagocytosis, microaggregation and spreading. This indicates that PCP can regulate the immune system by enhancing cellular immunity, modulating immune responses, and regulating the expression levels of physiological metabolism related genes. Zhang W. et al. (2023) found that the polysaccharides PCWPW and PCWPS from Wolfiporia cocos contain some fucose and mannose residues, which could interact with mannose receptor on the surface of macrophages. By experimentally treating the polysaccharides PCWPW and PCWPS with the inhibitors, the secretion of TNFα was inhibited and NF-κB and MAP. Table 8 summarizes the bioactivities of Wolfiporia cocos extraction in immunomodulation.

TABLE 8

Model usedExtracts metabolitesCell line/ModelHuman/Mice cellActivitiesDose range testedDurationControlReferences
In vitroPoria cocos polysaccharidesRAW 264.7MiceIncrease NO and activation of Ca(2+)/PKC/p38/NF-κ B72 hNegativePu et al. (2019)
In vitroCarboxymethyl pachymaranRAW 264.7MiceUpregulation of mRNA expression of iNOS, TNF-α and IL-612.5 μg/mL- 400 μg/mL24 hNegative/PositiveLiu et al. (2021)
In vivo/In vitroPolysaccharide PCP-IJ774A.1/BMDCsMiceActivation of T cells and IL-4 secretion68 hNegative/PositiveLiu et al. (2020)
In vivolanostane TriterpenoidsBALB/cStimulation of IFN-γ and inhibition of the Th2 response2.5, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg9weeksNegative/PositiveChao et al. (2021)
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesBombyx moriRegulation immune signal recognition0.1, 0.2, 0.4 μg/larval24 hNegativeLiu et al. (2022)
In vitroPCWPW/PCWPSRAW264.7MiceActivates MAPK, NF-κB and promotes TNF-αsecretion, mRNA expression200, 400, 800 μg/mL24 hNegative/PositiveZhang et al. (2023a)

Immunomodulation activities in Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

3.6 Regulation of glycolipid metabolism

Wolfiporia cocos regulates metabolism mainly by regulating glucose and lipid metabolism disorders. Glucose metabolism is a complex process of sugar synthesis and decomposition in the body, and abnormal enzymes and other factors involved in synthesis and metabolism will lead to glucose metabolism disorders (Zhang et al., 2022). Genetic, environmental, or pathological conditions can lead to abnormal levels of blood lipids and lipoproteins, resulting in lipid metabolism (Badmus et al., 2022). Studies have shown that crude extracts of Wolfiporia cocos and its triterpenoids such as dehydrotumulosic acid, dehydrotrametinonic acid and pachymic acid can significantly reduce postprandial blood glucose in db/db mice. Further studies on a mouse model treated with streptozotocin showed that the crude extract of Wolfiporia cocos and triterpenoids exhibited insulin sensitizing activity, but not insulin releasing activity. This suggests that the active ingredients of Wolfiporia cocos may enhance insulin sensitivity through a pathway that is not dependent on PPAR-γ, thereby reducing blood glucose levels (Li et al., 2011).

Hyperlipidemia is an important factor leading to atherosclerosis. Some experimental studies have proved that after treatment with Wolfiporia cocos, hyperlipidemia and related lipid metabolite abnormalities were significantly improved (Miao et al., 2016). Kim et al. (2019) found that Poria cocos Wolf (PCW) extract can effectively improve liver steatosis. In vitro HepG2 cell experiments and in vivo high-fat diet mouse models, it was found that PCW can significantly reduce triglyceride levels in cells and mouse liver while affecting the expression of genes related to fat production, fatty acid oxidation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and autophagy. PCW reduces fat production and promotes fatty acid oxidation by activating AMPK and its downstream pathways while inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and inducing autophagy. These findings indicate that Wolfiporia cocos has the potential to be used for the treatment of hepatic steatosis. Sun et al. (2019) found that PCX extracted from the sclerotia of Wolfiporia cocos can significantly enhance glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as reduce liver steatosis in ob/ob mice. The mechanism of action for PCX involves increasing the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria in the intestine, which in turn elevates intestinal butyrate levels, enhances the integrity of the intestinal mucosa, and activates the intestinal PPAR-γ pathway. Zhu et al. (2022) by establishing a high-fat diet (HFD) - induced obese mouse model, it was found that Wolfiporia cocos oligosaccharides(PCO) can reverse the imbalance of gut microbiota and changes in microbial metabolites, repair the intestinal barrier, reduce hyperglycemia, glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance in HFD mice, decrease the size of adipocytes, inhibit fat accumulation, and improve the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism. This indicates that PCO, as a novel prebiotic, has great potential in the treatment of glucose and lipid metabolism diseases. Wang et al. (2023) found that CMP can significantly reduce fat weight and serum lipids, improve glucose tolerance, effectively reduce lipid droplet content in liver tissue, and promote cholesterol and lipid metabolism by reducing the synthesis of liver bile acids. They also found that CMP regulates the metabolism of glucose and lipid and energy balance by enhancing the abundances of Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Akkermansia intestinal microbiota. Pan et al. (2023) found that Wolfiporia cocos acid can alleviate lipid metabolism disorders in mouse primary liver cells induced by OA-palmitic acid by activating SIRT6 signalling pathway. By using molecular docking, it was found that SIRT6/PPAR - α can promote fatty acid oxidation and SIRT6/Nrf2 can enhance antioxidant activity. The interaction between the two is a new target for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Table 9 summarizes the bioactivities of Wolfiporia cocos extraction in regulating of glycolipid metabolism.

TABLE 9

Model usedExtracts metabolitesCell line/ModelActivitiesDose range testedDurationControlReferences
In vivo/In vitroDehydrotumulosic acid, Dehydrotrametenolic acid, Pachymic aciddb/db/C57BL miceEnhancement insulin sensitivity to lower blood sugarIn vivo: 1, 5, 10 mg/kg. In vitro: 10、40、100 μM24 hNegative/PositiveLi et al. (2011)
In vivoWolfiporia powderHLA miceRegulation of fatty acid and sterol lipid metabolism250 mg/kg6weeksNegativeMiao et al. (2016)
In vivo/In vitroPoricoic acid, Pachymic acid ErgosterolHepG2/C57BL/6 miceInhibition lipogenesis and stimulates fatty acid oxidationIn vivo: 100,300 mg/kg, In vitro: poricoic acid: 6.25–100 μM, pachymic acid/ergosterol: 0.63–10 μMIn vivo: 6weeks, In vitro: 24 hNegativeKim et al. (2019)
In vivoWater insoluble polysaccharideob/ob miceImprovement of intestinal mucosal integrity and activation of intestinal PPAR-γ pathway1 g/kg-1, 0.5 g/kg-14 weeksNegative/PositiveSun et al. (2019)
In vivoPoria cocos oligosaccharidesHFD miceRegulation of BAs, SCFAs and tryptophan metabolites200 mg/kg16 weeksNegativeZhu et al. (2022)
In vitroPachymic acidMPHsPromotion fatty acid oxidation and reduces lipid deposition12 μM–50 μM24 hNegativePan et al. (2023)

Regulation of glycolipid metabolism activities in Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

3.7 Improvement of organ function

Through research, it has been found that the active ingredients in Wolfiporia cocos have the ability to improve the function of human organs such as the heart (Xie et al., 2023), liver (Jiang et al., 2022) and kidneys (Wu et al., 2023a). Table 10 summarizes the bioactivities of Wolfiporia cocos extraction in improving of organ function.

TABLE 10

Model usedExtracts metabolitesCell line/ModelHuman/Mice cellMechanismDose range testedDurationControlReferences
In vivoPachymic acidHS miceInhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis7.5, 15 mg/kg3daysNegativeLiu et al. (2023)
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesMI/RI miceInhibition of ROS production thereby reducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis100, 200 mg/kg7daysNegative/PositiveXie et al. (2023)
In vitroPachymic acidH9c2HumanReduces TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 release and inhibits apoptosis in cardiomyocytes0.125–20 μM24 hNegativeLi et al. (2015)
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesNASHInhibition NF - κB activation and CCL3/CCR1 mRNA expression. Protects liver tissue150, 300 mg/kg4 weeksNegativeTan et al. (2022)
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesGao-BingeInhibition the CYP2E1/ROS/MAPKs signaling pathway. Ameliorates apoptosis in liver cells25, 50, 100 mg/kg16 daysNegative/PositiveJiang et al. (2022)
In vivo/In vitroPoria cocos polysaccharidesAPAP/AML12MiceDecrease TNF-β and TNFsR-Ⅰ levels. Reduces hepatocyte inflammationIn vivo: 200, 400 mg/kg, In vitro: 20, 40 g/LIn vivo:14days, In vitro:48 hNegative/PositiveWu et al. (2019)
In vivoPoria cocos polysaccharidesAPAPDecrease serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and increase expression of AKR7A, c-Jun, and Bcl-2 in liver tissue200, 400 mg/kg14daysNegativeWu et al. (2018)
In vivo/In vitroPoricoic acid AUUO/NRK-49FMiceInhibition twist, snail1, MMP-7, and PAI-1. reduces renal fibroblast productionIn vivo: 10 mg/kg, In vitro: 10 μMIn vivo: 2weeks, In vitro: 48 hNegative/PositiveChen et al. (2023)
In vivo/In vitroPoricoic acid ADKD/MPC5Increase LC3 and ATG5 levels and decrease p62 and FUNDC1 levels. Reduces kidney injuryIn vivo: 10, 20 mg/kg, In vitro:0 μg/mL-200μg/mLIn vivo: 4 weeks, In vitro: 24 hNegativeWu et al. (2023a)
In vitroPoricoic acid ATGF-β1/NRK-49FMiceInhibit PDGF-C, Smad3 and MAPK signaling pathways. Reduce renal fibroblast proliferation1μM–20 μM24 hNegativeLi et al. (2021c)
In vivoPachymic acidCKDUpregulates renal klotho levels and inhibits the Wnt/β - catenin signaling pathway. Reduces renal inflammation10 mg/kg4 weeksNegative/PositiveYounis et al. (2022)
In vitroPoricoic acid ZATGF-β1/ANGIIInhibition the renin-angiotensin system and the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Reduce renal fibrosis10 μMNegative/PositiveWang et al. (2017)

The mechanism of improving organ function in Wolfiporia cocos extraction.

3.7.1 Improve heart function

A study has reported that by establishing a myocardial ischemia (MI/RI) rat model, Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides reduce the levels of LDH, CK-MB, IL-1 β, IL-18, and MDA in myocardial tissue. At the same time, they reduce the relative expression levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, RhoA, ROCK1, and p-MYPT-1 proteins, as well as increase the relative expression levels of SOD and Bcl-2 proteins in myocardial tissue, thereby improving tissue edema and microcirculation disorders, and weakening pathological damage and myocardial cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, by downregulating the levels of RhoA, ROCK1, and downstream signalling factor p-MYPT-1 in MI/RI rat myocardial tissue, the activation of the Rho ROCK signalling pathway is inhibited, the activation of inflammasomes is reduced, and myocardial cell oxidation and inflammatory damage are alleviated, thereby reducing myocardial cell apoptosis (Xie et al., 2023). Liu et al. (2023) found that the triterpenoid compound PA extracted from Wolfiporia cocos can reduce the levels of IL-1 β, IL-6, and TNF-α by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory NF-κB signalling pathway, thereby improving hematopoietic shock (HS) - induced cardiac inflammation. Coincidentally, PA weakens the increase in HS induced cardiac monocyte/macrophage and neutrophil infiltration, as well as inhibits HS induced M1 polarization and exaggerates M2 polarization in myocardial tissue, reducing cardiac damage, inhibiting cell apoptosis, and improving cardiac inflammatory response. Li et al. (2015) found that PA exhibited significant effects in inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - induced apoptosis and inflammatory response in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Through PA treatment, the upregulation and release of TNF-α, IL -1, and IL-6 inflammatory factors in myocardial cells can be significantly reduced. At the same time, PA inhibits LPS induced myocardial cell apoptosis by suppressing the phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase (Erk) 1/2 and p38 signalling pathways. This discovery suggests that PA may be a potentially effective drug for treating LPS induced myocarditis and apoptosis, providing a new strategy for treating inflammation related cardiovascular diseases.

3.7.2 Improve liver function

In the early stages, research on carboxy methyl Poria cocos polysaccharide (CMPCP) for chronic viral hepatitis has been conducted. Through experiments, it was found that CMPCP can improve liver function and enhance non-specific cell-mediated immune function, without cytotoxic effects. This study was a preliminary investigation of the use of Wolfiporia cocos in the treatment of liver diseases (Guo et al., 1984). With the constant evolution of social times, pressures and other factors have led to an increasing intake of alcohol, gradually making alcoholic liver disease (ALD) the leading chronic liver disease worldwide, placing a heavy burden on the global public health system (Zhang N. et al., 2023). There are research reports that the active Poria cocos polysaccharide (PCP-1C) improves ALD by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB and CYP2E1/ROS/MAPK pathways, repairing the intestinal barrier and reducing LPS leakage, thereby reducing liver injury, inflammation, oxidative stress, and intestinal leakage (Jiang et al., 2022). Tan et al. (2022) established a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) model by administering methionine and choline deficiency diet to C57BL/6 mice for 4 weeks. They found that Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides can reshape the composition of intestinal bacteria by significantly increasing the relative abundance of Faecalibaculum and reducing the endotoxin load level from intestinal bacteria. This suggests that Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides can provide a new potential strategy for the prevention and treatment of NASH. Wu et al. (2019) demonstrated through experiments that PCP can reduce Hsp90 cells, be beneficial for acetaminophen-induced liver cell damage, and enhance its hepatoprotective effect. PCP (Wu et al., 2018) can alleviate liver injury in a dose-dependent manner by downregulating the expression of NF-κB/p65 and IkB α.

3.7.3 Improve kidney function

Chen et al. (2023) found that inducing renal interstitial fibrosis in rats or mice by establishing unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), and PAA from Wolfiporia cocos can promote β-catenin K49 deacetylation, significantly inhibit renal fiber cell activation, and improve renal function. At the same time, Wu et al. (2023a) by establishing a model of diabetes nephropathy (DKD) and extracting PAA from Wolfiporia cocos, found that PAA can significantly reduce the levels of blood sugar and urinary protein in mice, control renal fibrosis, and downregulate FUNDC1 to promote mitosis, thus having a beneficial impact on the damage of capsular cells in DKD and effectively alleviating renal damage. There is experimental evidence (Li Q. et al., 2021) that PAA inhibits the PDGF-C, Smad3, and MAPK pathways to suppress TGF-β1 induced ECM accumulation, fibrosis formation, and proliferation in renal fibroblasts. Fu et al. (2022) found that Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharides can not only induce proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, but also reduce the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines to improve kidney morphology, thereby improving chronic kidney disease. Younis et al. (2022) found through experiments that PA has an upregulation effect on renal klotho, thereby inhibiting Wnt/β - catenin reactivation and downregulating RAS gene expression, which brings benefits to the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). At the same time, Wang et al. (2017) confirmed that Poricoic acid ZA extracted from Wolfiporia cocos is used as a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor for the treatment of CKD. It blocks the interaction between Smad2/3-TGF β RI proteins and inhibits Smad2/3 phosphorylation, thereby inhibiting RAS the TGF - β/Smad pathway, ultimately leading to the treatment of chronic kidney disease.

4 Toxicology

The “Shennong Bencao Jing” describes the traditional Chinese medicine derived from Wolfiporia cocos as being “sweet, smooth, and devoid of toxicity.” Modern studies have confirmed that the hydroalcoholic extract of Wolfiporia cocos has oral and topical anti-inflammatory activity in mice. Two metabolites isolated from it showed strong inhibitory effects and low toxicity on acute TPA edema, and the safe dosage is 6–18 g (Cuellar et al., 1997). The toxicological properties of the water-soluble heteropolysaccharide ac - PCM0 from Wolfiporia cocos were investigated by in vivo acute toxicity test and comparative experiments. The heteropolysaccharide solution with a concentration of 50 mg/mL was intravenously injected into BALB/C mice weighing 201 g. The toxicity and mortality were recorded for seven consecutive days. The LD50 of the polysaccharide was calculated to be higher than 1,250 mg/kg, indicating that the polysaccharide is non-toxic (Zhang et al., 2005). An in vivo toxicity assay was conducted to evaluate the potential toxicity of PAA during the treatment of T-ALL. T-ALL nude mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group, PAA low dose group (5 mg/kg) and PAA high dose group (10 mg/kg); NOD/SCID mice were divided into corresponding control group and PAA treatment group. The PAA treatment group was given an intraperitoneal injection, and the control group was given the same amount of solvent (physiological saline). After 4 weeks of treatment, it was detected that PAA had no significant effect on the levels of alt, AST, bun and Cr in serum. This indicates that PAA has no significant hepatotoxicity or nephrotoxicity (Chen et al., 2022).

5 Conclusion

In recent years, Wolfiporia cocos has attracted more and more attention from researchers, and many studies have also confirmed its medicinal value. In terms of active ingredients, polysaccharides and terpenoids have been the main research objects. Although researchers have made great efforts in elucidating their chemical structures and biological activities, there are still some limitations. As far as polysaccharides are concerned, the purification process is still a formidable challenge. Most natural polysaccharides are insoluble in water. Researchers mostly use crude extracts or derivatives, which makes the fine structure of polysaccharides unclear, and hinders the accurate understanding of its mechanism of action to a certain extent. It is hoped that the fine structure of Wolfiporia cocos polysaccharide can be described through more advanced technology improvement in the future. On the other hand, the terpenoids in Wolfiporia cocos are mainly triterpenoids, and also contain trace diterpenes. Most of the current research focuses on triterpenoids, while the research on diterpenes is relatively scarce. In the future, if the research on diterpenes can be strengthened, it may open up a new research path for revealing the pharmacological activity of Wolfiporia cocos, and provide a richer scientific basis for the in-depth development and wide application of Wolfiporia cocos.

Wolfiporia cocos, as a traditional Chinese medicine with a wide range of pharmacological mechanisms, has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo experiments the potential for a wide range of applications such as antitumour, antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, regulation of intestinal flora, regulation of glycolipid metabolism, and improvement of organ function. As shown in Figure 6. In vitro experiments showed that Wolfiporia cocos extracts have antitumour, antioxidation, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulation activities. In the in vivo model, the extract showed antitumour, regulation of intestinal flora, regulation of glycolipid metabolism, and improvement of organ function. Although in vitro experimental studies can precisely regulate the experimental conditions and thus obtain preliminary conclusions faster on the basis of controlled variables, it is difficult to comprehensively simulate the complexity of the in vivo environment, and it is more general for elucidating the mechanism of action of Wolfiporia cocos extracts in detail. As for in vivo experiments, more experiments are currently using mouse models to simulate human beings, although there are many similarities between mice and human beings in physiological mechanisms, mice are still unable to fully reflect the complexity of the human body in vivo. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen clinical research to promote Wolfiporia cocos from the laboratory to clinical application, so that it can truly benefit human health.

FIGURE 6

In conclusion, in order to provide inspiration for the further study of Wolfiporia cocos, this paper summarizes the research status of Wolfiporia cocos in chemistry, active ingredients and pharmacological mechanism. Although Wolfiporia cocos has shown significant application potential in many fields, its complex biological activity mechanism and fine chemical structure characteristics still need to be further explored and established, so as to fully explore its value in the development of functional food additives and drugs. On this basis, we suggest that the use of modern biotechnology, chemical analysis and computer science and other technologies, in-depth excavation of polysaccharide and terpenoids derivatives and other potential active ingredients in Wolfiporia cocos. Through this way, it is not only expected to find more new compounds with unique biological activities, but also further expand the application scope of Wolfiporia cocos in medicine, food, health products and other fields, laying a solid foundation for the maximum utilization of Wolfiporia cocos resources. We look forward to more researchers joining the research of Wolfiporia cocos in the future to jointly promote the modernization process of this traditional Chinese medicine.

Statements

Author contributions

QX: Conceptualization, Writing–original draft. ZL: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing–review and editing. DY: Project administration, Writing–review and editing. XL: Writing–review and editing, Supervision. WP: Data curation, Writing–review and editing. XY: Software, Writing–review and editing. KJ: Data curation, Writing–review and editing. XW: Supervision, Visualization, Writing–review and editing. YZ: Funding acquisition, Supervision, Writing–review and editing.

Funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the project of Health Digital Research Association of Jilin Province (HDRA.J20230002) and the Program of Science and Technology Research Project of the Education Department of Jilin Province of China (JJKH20241091KJ).

Acknowledgments

We thank the project of Health Digital Research Association of Jilin Province (HDRA.J20230002) and the Program of Science and Technology Research Project of the Education Department of Jilin Province of China (JJKH20241091KJ) for financial support of this study. The authors would like to thank Figdraw for providing the drawing platform.

Conflict of interest

Author XW was employed by Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutial Group Co., Ltd.

The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.

Publisher’s note

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Summary

Keywords

Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb, polysaccharide, triterpenoid metabolites, active metabolites, mechanism of action

Citation

Xiong Q, Li Z, Yang D, Liu X, Pu W, Yue X, Jia K, Wan X and Zou Y (2025) Progress in the study of bioactivity, chemical composition and pharmacological mechanism of action in Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb. Front. Pharmacol. 16:1521235. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1521235

Received

01 November 2024

Accepted

06 February 2025

Published

03 March 2025

Volume

16 - 2025

Edited by

Rajeev K. Singla, Sichuan University, China

Reviewed by

Filipa Pinto-Ribeiro, University of Minho, Portugal

Jaroslaw Widelski, Medical University of Lublin, Poland

Bulu Mohanta, Seemanta Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SIPS), India

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Xilin Wan, ; Yuanjun Zou,

†These authors have contributed equally to this work

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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