Effect of selenium on increasing the antioxidant activity of protein extracts from a selenium-enriched mushroom species of the Ganoderma genus

At the same protein concentration, the protein extracts from Se-enriched Ganoderma lucidum (Se-GLPr) exhibited strong DNA protective effects from oxidative damage, which increased with the increase of Se content as suggested by chemiluminescence analysis, indicating indirectly that Se plays an important role in increasing the antioxidant activities of protein extracts. This was confirmed by spin-trapping experiments showing that Se-GLPr exhibited higher activities of scavenging superoxide and hydroxyl radicals than its analog, common Ganoderma lucidum extract. All Se-GLPr samples showed stronger activities of attenuating the production of superoxide radical than that of hydroxyl radical.