Potential hepatoprotective effect and mechanisms of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides

• This review systematically integrates fragmented mechanisms, elucidating how Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide (GLP) tailors its hepatoprotective effects to distinct pathologies. • GLP exhibits broad hepatoprotective effects against NAFLD, fibrosis, HCC, and acute liver injury via antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, metabolic, and gut-liver axis modulation. • Highlights GLP’s dual role as a dietary and therapeutic agent, proposing its integration into functional food systems for preventive and adjunctive liver disease management. Liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fibrosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and acute liver injury, represent one of the most prevalent global health burdens, driven by complex interactions among oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and gut-liver axis dysfunction. Current therapeutic strategies remain substantially limited. As a widely consumed edible and medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum ( G. lucidum ) has garnered attention in food and agricultural sciences due to its dual dietary and therapeutic potential. G. lucidum polysaccharide (GLP) is one of the most key bioactive components. Preclinical studies reveal GLP’s capacity to mitigate liver pathologies through suppression of pro-inflammatory cascades, restoration of redox homeostasis, immune response modulation, amelioration of gut microbiota dysbiosis, and regulation of lipid metabolism and cellular fate determination. However, the molecular intricacies underlying GLP’s hepatoprotective effects remain fragmented across disparate studies, with limited systematic exploration of its disease-specific mechanisms. This study synthesizes current evidence on the hepatoprotective mechanisms of GLP across liver diseases, highlighting their potential as multifunctional ingredients for dietary interventions. It aims to advance the application of GLP as a dietary hepatoprotective agent in functional food systems.