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Higher Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes mushrooms possess various immunological and anticancer properties. They also offer\ud important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiallergic, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, digestive, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, osteoprotective, and hypotensive activities. This minireview summarizes the perspectives, recent advances, and major challenges of medicinal mushrooms with reference to their nutraceutical properties and dietary value, the production of mushroom biomass on various substrates, and the purification, characterization, and pharmaceutical effects of biologically active compounds from medicinal mushrooms

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The influence of environmental parameters on mycelial linear growth of Pleurotus ostreatus, P. eryngii, P. pulmonarius, Agrocybe aegerita, Lentinula edodes, Volvariella volvacea and Auricularia auricula-judae was determined in two different nutrient media in a wide range of temperature, forming the basis for the assessment of their temperature optima. V. volvacea grew faster at 35 degrees C, P. eryngii at 25 degrees C, P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius at 30 degrees C, A. aegerita at 25 or 30 degrees C and A. auricula-judae at 20 or 25 degrees C depending on the nutrient medium used and L. edodes at 20 or 30 degrees C depending on the strain examined. The mycelium extension rates were evaluated on seven mushroom cultivation substrates: wheat straw, cotton gin-trash, peanut shells, poplar sawdust, oak sawdust, corn cobs and olive press-cake. The mycelium extension rates (linear growth and colonization rates) were determined by the 'race-tube' technique, and were found to be the highest on cotton gin-trash, peanut shells and poplar sawdust for Pleurotus spp. and A. aegerita. Wheat straw, peanut shells and particularly cotton gin-trash supported fast growth of V. volvacea, whereas wheat straw was the most suitable substrate for L. edodes and A. auricula-judae. Supplemented oak sawdust and olive press-cake were poor substrates for most species examined, while almost all strains performed adequately on corn cobs.

Members of the mushroom genus Pleurotus form a heterogeneous group of edible species of high commercial importance. Subgenus Coremiopleurotus includes taxa that produce synnematoid fructifications (anamorphic state). Several species, subspecies and varieties have been described in Coremiopleurotus. These taxa are discriminated by minute morphological differences and correspond to Pleurotus cystidiosus sensu lato. A worldwide geographical sampling of Coremiopleurotus taxa and nucleotide sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer of the nuclear rRNA genes (ITS) were used to produce a molecular phylogeny for the group. Also conducted were new interfertility studies, and a summary of the mating data currently available in the literature is provided. Both ITS phylogeny and mating data supported the distinction between Pleurotus australis (a species apparently endemic to New Zealand and Australia) and P. cystidiosus sensu lato. Within P. cystidiosus sensu lato, ITS phylogeny showed a deep split between Old and New World isolates and clearly distinguished four distinct clades that strongly corresponded to the geographical origin of the strains. In the Old World, one clade is composed of isolates from Europe and Africa, and one clade is composed of isolates from Asia (including collections from Hawaii). In the New World, one clade is restricted to isolates from Mexico, and one clade includes all the authors' North America isolates, one collection from Japan and one collection from South Africa. Mating data revealed a high level of interfertility among strains of P. cystidiosus sensu lato, except that isolates from Mexico were nearly fully intersterile with the other collections. Nucleotide sequence divergence in the ITS1-5?8S rDNA-ITS2 regions among intercompatible P. cystidiosus collections was very high (0-6?9 %) in comparison to that reported in other biological species of basidiomycetes (0-3 %), indicating significant genetic divergence between geographically isolated populations of the P. cystidiosus group. The phylogenetic species concept, as well as molecular, mating and geographical evidence, was used to recognize five species in the subgenus Coremiopleurotus: P. australis (in New Zealand and Australia), Pleurotus abalonus (in Asia and Hawaii), Pleurotus fuscosquamulosus (in Africa and Europe), Pleurotus smithii (in Mexico) and Pleurotus cystidiosus sensu stricto (in North America). However, geographical boundaries between these species are not strict, as rare events of long distance dispersal have occurred. INTRODUCTIONMembers of the mushroom genus Pleurotus (Jacq. Fr.) P. Kumm. (Basidiomycotina, Pleurotaceae) form a heterogeneous group of edible species of high commercial importance. A morphologically distinct infrageneric grouping consists of taxa which share the common character of producing arthrospores from asexual fructifications on basidiomata and/or in mycelial cultures.Species which produce synnematoid fructifications (i.e. white synnematal columns topped with a black mucous mass of hyaline art...

Alterations of gut microbiota are evident during the aging process. Prebiotics may restore the gut microbial balance, with β-glucans emerging as prebiotic candidates. This study aimed to investigate the impact of edible mushrooms rich in β-glucans on the gut microbiota composition and metabolites by using in vitro static batch culture fermentations and fecal inocula from elderly donors (n = 8). Pleurotus ostreatus, P. eryngii, Hericium erinaceus and Cyclocybe cylindracea mushrooms derived from various substrates were examined. Gut microbiota composition (quantitative PCR (qPCR)) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; gas chromatography (GC)) were determined during the 24-h fermentation. P. eryngii induced a strong lactogenic effect, while P. ostreatus and C. cylindracea induced a significant bifidogenic effect (p for all <0.05). Furthermore, P. eryngii produced on wheat straw and the prebiotic inulin had comparable Prebiotic Indexes, while P. eryngii produced on wheat straw/grape marc significantly increased the levels of tested butyrate producers. P. ostreatus, P. eryngii and C. cylindracea had similar trends in SCFA profile; H. erinaceus mushrooms were more diverse, especially in the production of propionate, butyrate and branched SCFAs. In conclusion, mushrooms rich in β-glucans may exert beneficial in vitro effects in gut microbiota and/or SCFAs production in elderly subjects.

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