Abstract: To explore the medicinal and edible value of Ganoderma lucidum, this study selected five samples of G. lucidum fruit bodies from different cultivars/production regions, including black G. lucidum from Jiangxi (JXH), sporeless G. lucidum from Guizhou (GZWF), G. lucidum from Tian’e, Guangxi (GXC), sporeless G. lucidum from Tian’e, Guangxi (GXWF), and G. lucidum from Nandan, Guangxi (ND) for comparison of their morphology, nutritional composition, and secondary metabolite composition. The secondary metabolites were analyzed by ultra‑high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), and the functional activities of the ethanol and water extracts from each sample were determined and compared. Nutritional analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) in active compound contents among different G. lucidum samples. GZWF had the highest water-soluble extract content (59.9 mg/g), while ND exhibited significantly higher levels of total triterpenoids (9.62 mg/g), total flavonoids (15.13 mg/g), and total polyphenols (5.28 mg/g) compared with the other samples (P < 0.05). GXWF contained the highest polysaccharide content (14.77 mg/g). Secondary metabolite analysis detected 436 differential metabolites across all five G. lucidum samples. Cluster analysis revealed that GXC contained abundant triterpenoids, primarily ganoderic acids. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis demonstrated that pathways dominated by glycerophospholipid metabolism constituted the core mechanism responsible for the overall phenotypic and metabolomic differences among the five G. lucidum samples. Functional assays demonstrated that the ethanol extract of GXC exhibited the strongest scavenging capacity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 0.102 and 0.590 mg/mL, respectively. In contrast, the ethanol extract of GZWF showed the highest inhibitory activity against superoxide anion radical, elastase, and α‑glucosidase (with IC50 values of 0.065, 0.036, and 0.075 mg/mL, respectively), suggesting its potential for anti‑aging and hypoglycemic effects in vitro. Correlation analysis showed that flavonoids and triterpenoids might be the major components determining the functional activity of the extracts. Notably, for all G. lucidum samples, the bioactivity of the ethanol extracts was superior to that of their aqueous counterparts. These findings provide important guidance for exploiting the medicinal and edible value of G. lucidum and developing related functional foods.

Key words: Ganoderma lucidum; metabolomics; extracts; antioxidant activity; anti-aging activity; hypoglycemic activity