## 4 Discussion  
In oriental countries, there is a long and historical tradition of using _G. lucidum_ as a folk remedy for health promotion. Its pharmacological activities [3] are recognized by the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium [27]. In fact, this mushroom produces a large variety of bioactive compounds, representing a \"factory\" of compounds to be used in biomedical field [11; 28]. Currently, most therapeutic formulations mainly involve the use of the _G. lucidum_ fruiting body and mycelium, but in recent years, the spores are becoming increasingly interesting, thanks to their beneficial effects and innovative extraction techniques [4; 14]. The main components of _G. lucidum_ spores are triterpenes, polysaccharides and triglycerides [14]. In this study, analyses of lipid composition of _G. lucidum_ spores were performed comparing different extraction processes. To achieve this goal, we optimized the analytical methodology based on the identification and quantification of FAMEs by GC-MS. The optimization of the method required some adjustment of the temperature ramp of GC-MS to obtain optimal conditions, best peak resolution and the minimum run time. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **\% Total FA 1** & **\% SFA \(\pm\) SD 2** & **\% MUFA \(\pm\) SD** & **\% PUFA \(\pm\) SD** \\ \hline Extraction with \(n\)-hexane & 26.43 & 26.4 \(\pm\) 0.16 & 70.3 \(\pm\) 0.98 & 3.19 \(\pm\) 0.03 \\ \hline Extraction in Soxhlet & 32.65 & 30.4 \(\pm\) 0.27 & 66.5 \(\pm\) 0.84 & 3.00 \(\pm\) 0.03 \\ \hline Reflux extraction with chloroform & 26.83 & 25.7 \(\pm\) 0.22 & 71.7 \(\pm\) 0.99 & 2.68 \(\pm\) 0.03 \\ \hline Commercial liquid extract & – & 22.0 \(\pm\) 0.22 & 68 \(\pm\) 1.00 & 9.5 \(\pm\) 0.1 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* values reported calculated from the extraction yield; 2 SD = standard deviation.  
\end{table} 
Table 3: Groups of fatty acids from the composition of samples of _G.__moderna lucidum_ obtained with different extraction processes. Figure 6: Graphical illustration of groups of fatty acids from the composition of spores of _G.__lucidum_. Interestingly, our findings show that the procedures used (i.e., extraction with \(n\)-hexane, extraction in Soxhlet with \(n\)-hexane, reflux extraction with chloroform) are economical and convenient, in terms of equipment costs, management of the instrumentation and request for qualified personnel for their use. Furthermore, they are easy to implement and allow to produce extracts with a lipid composition similar to the one detected with hard strategies. In this respect, a commercially available liquid extract of _G. lucidum_ obtained with supercritical CO\({}_{2}\) extraction was also analyzed. Furthermore, [PERSON] and co-workers [16] reported the extraction and detection of fatty acids in triglycerides from spores of _G. lucidum_ obtained with an extraction process conducted ultrasonically with CH\({}_{2}\)Cl\({}_{2}\) for 2 h. Our findings are in accordance with the constituents previously detected in spores of _G. lucidum_[16], but the oleic acid amount is generally higher in the extracts produced in this work, in particular when the spores were extracted with reflux with chloroform (66.9%) or extracted with \(n\)-hexane (68.4%). The beneficial effects of spores of _G. lucidum_ may be related to the synergic action of the fatty acids in triglycerides and in particular to the high abundance of oleic acid, which properties have been extensively reviewed [29]. In fact, oils rich in oleic acid is supposed to present diverse physiological functions confirmed by several studies on its help in cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases [30; 31]. Controversial studies have reported potential biologic effects of the second most abundant fatty acid (i.e., palmitic acid) in the extract of spores of _G. lucidum_[32].