Biologically Active Compounds from Aphyllophorales (Polypore) Fungi

Abstract

This review describes biologically active natural products isolated from Aphyllophorales, many of which are known as polypores. Polypores are a large group of terrestrial fungi of the phylum Basdiomycota (basidiomycetes), and they along with certain Ascomycota are a major source of pharmacologically active substances. There are about 25 000 species of basidiomycetes, of which about 500 are members of the Aphyllophorales, a polyphyletic group that contains the polypores. Many of these fungi have circumboreal distributions in North America, Europe, and Asia and broad distributions on all inhabited continents and Africa; only a small number of the most common species with the most obvious fruiting bodies (basidiocarps) have been evaluated for biological activity. An estimated 75% of polypore fungi that have been tested show strong antimicrobial activity, and these may constitute a good source for developing new antibiotics. Numerous compounds from these fungi also display antiviral, cytotoxic, and/or antineoplastic activities. Additional important components of this vast arsenal of compounds are polysaccharides derived from the fungal cell walls. These compounds have attracted significant attention in recent years because of their immunomodulatory activities, resulting in antitumor effects. These high molecular weight compounds, often called biological response modifiers (BRM), or immunopotentiators, prevent carcinogenesis, show direct anticancer effects, and prevent tumor metastasis. Some of the protein-bound polysaccharides from polypores and other basidiomycetes have found their way to the market in Japan as anticancer drugs. Finally, numerous compounds with cardiovascular, phytotoxic, immunomodulatory, analgesic, antidiabetic, antioxidant, insecticidal, and nematocidal activities, isolated from polypores, are also presented. In fact many of the fungi mentioned in this paper have long been used in herbal medicine, including polypores such as Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi or Ling Zhi), Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken-of-the-Woods), Trametes versicolor (Yun Zhi), Grifola umbellata (Zhu Lin), Inonotus obliquus (Chaga), and Wolfiporia cocos (Hoelen).

Mushrooms as therapeutic agents

“…Epicorazins used in some parts of Yemen for the treatment of 'nappy rash' of babies and in South Africa against sun burn belong to the group of epipolythiopiperazine-2,5-diones, an important class of biologically active fungal metabolites. Other antimicrobial compounds from the Aphyllophorales were summarized by (Zjawiony, 2004).…”

Submerged culture conditions for the production of mycelial biomass and antimicrobial metabolites by Polyporus tricholoma Mont.

“…They belong to the phylum Basidiomycota, and, along with some fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, they are considered as an important source of substances of medicinal interest, such as antibacterial metabolites (27). Polyporus arcularius has been reported to synthesize norsesquiterpene structures, such as drimanes, with antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (8).…”

Evaluation of the Biocorrosion Inhibition Potential of Ethanol Extract of Ganoderma tropicum

“…Triterpenoids are reported as common secondary metabolites found in Ganoderma sp. with diverse range of biological activities (Zjawiony, 2004;Xia et al, 2014).…”