Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 51-61 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 59 pharmacological activities in multiple disease areas. These activities include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, liver protection and hypoglycemic effects, and have the potential to intervene in a variety of chronic and metabolic diseases (Ahmad et al., 2021b; Zeng et al., 2021; Swallah et al., 2023). Studies have shown that triterpenoids can effectively inhibit the activity of key enzymes such as neuraminidase and HIV protease, thereby interfering with the viral replication process and showing good antiviral effects (Ahmad et al., 2021b). Triterpenes also show important value in the intervention of neurodegenerative diseases. For example, in animal models of Alzheimer's disease, long-term use of triterpenes can significantly slow down neurological degeneration and improve cognitive performance, showing its potential in neuroprotective therapy (Zeng et al., 2021). With the realization of technologies such as genetic modification to increase the content of triterpenes, the medicinal effects of this type of compound will be further enhanced, making G. lucidum an important candidate source for the development of new natural drugs. 7.2 Market demand and future prospects In recent years, the global medicinal mushroom market, including G. lucidum, has continued to show a growth trend. This development is mainly due to the public's increased awareness of natural health products, especially the recognition of G. lucidum's efficacy in enhancing immunity, anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory. At the same time, the rising demand for functional foods by consumers has also provided a good market foundation for the promotion of G. lucidum products. Increasing the content of triterpenoids through genetic modification technology will not only help improve the efficacy of the product, but may also accelerate the penetration of G. lucidumproducts in the health care products and food industries and enhance their competitiveness (Ekiz et al., 2023; Swallah et al., 2023). At the same time, the antiviral properties of triterpenoids have also opened up new possibilities for their use in disease prevention and treatment. For example, studies have shown that these compounds may fight new viral infections including COVID-19, further expanding the scope of their market applications (Ahmad et al., 2021b; Ekiz et al., 2023). As scientific research progresses, triterpenoid-rich G. lucidumproducts will not only be limited to traditional fields in the future, but will also have broader application prospects in precision nutrition, chronic disease management, and even auxiliary treatments, and the market size and innovation potential are expected to continue to be released. Acknowledgments We sincerely thank Ms. Li from the Horticultural and Herbal Research Center for her valuable support in data analysis and material collection, which contributed to the successful completion of this study. Additionally, we would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the two anonymous peer reviewers for their thorough evaluation of the manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Ahmad R., Riaz M., Khan A., Aljamea A., Algheryafi M., Sewaket D., and Alqathama A., 2021a, Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) an edible mushroom; a comprehensive and critical review of its nutritional, cosmeceutical, mycochemical, pharmacological, clinical, and toxicological properties, Phytotherapy Research, 35(11): 6030-6062. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7215 Ahmad F., Ahmad F., Khan M., Alsayegh A., Wahab S., Alam M., and Ahmed F., 2021b, Ganoderma lucidum: A potential source to surmount viral infections through β-glucans immunomodulatory and triterpenoids antiviral properties, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 183: 2180-2191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.122 Aminfar Z., Rabiei B., Tohidfar M., and Mirjalili M., 2019, Identification of key genes involved in the biosynthesis of triterpenic acids in the mint family, Scientific Reports, 9(1): 14826. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52090-z Bai J., Mu R., Dou M., Yan D., Liu B., Wei Q., Wan J., Tang Y., and Hu Y., 2018, Epigenetic modification in histone deacetylase deletion strain of Calcarisporium arbuscula leads to diverse diterpenoids, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 8(4): 687-697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2017.12.012
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