Study on the anti-tumor effect of Wall-broken ganoderma lucidum spore powder on papillary thyroid cancer

Wall-broken Ganoderma lucidum spore powder (BGLSP), a traditional Chinese medicinal substance, contains bioactive triterpenoids with anti-tumor potential. However, its efficacy and mechanisms against papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remain unclear. This study investigated the anti-tumor effects of BGLSP on PTC using three human PTC cell lines (TPC-1, K1, KTC-1) treated with BGLSP (0.5-4 mg/mL). We assessed cell viability (CCK-8 assay), proliferation (colony formation, Ki-67 immunofluorescence), apoptosis (flow cytometry, caspase activation), and migration (wound healing, transwell assays). Western blot analyzed the key Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) markers, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), Snail and Zinc-finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), while a nude mouse xenograft model assessed BGLSP efficacy (2 mg/kg/day). Results showed that BGLSP significantly inhibited PTC cell proliferation and colony formation while inducing apoptosis via caspase-8/caspase-3 activation. It also suppressed migration by modulating EMT, upregulating epithelial markers (E-cadherin, ZO-1), and downregulating mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin, Vimentin) and EMT-transcription factors (Snail, ZEB1). In vivo, BGLSP reduced tumor growth and Ki-67 expression, consistent with in vitro findings. These findings demonstrate that BGLSP exerts anti-tumor effects in PTC by targeting proliferation, apoptosis, and EMT, supporting its traditional use and suggesting potential as a natural adjuvant therapy worthy of further studies.