[In vitro cytotoxicity of Ganoderma lucidum on oral cancer cells].

The extract from the mycelium of Ganoderma lucidum was diluted into serial concentrations and added into in vitro cultured oral cancer and normal cell lines. After incubation for 24 hours, the survival fraction was determined by MTT colorimetric assay. The result revealed that the ID50 was about 3mg/ml and the total lethal dosage was beyond 4 mg/ml. This toxic effect was the same in both cancer and normal cells. Not only was there no difference between cancer and normal cells, but also the high dosage required in toxicity leads to the conclusion that the GL has no direct cytotoxic effect in cancer treatment.