Include mushroom in daily diet—A strategy for better hepatic health

Abstract

Liver, the most important metabolic organ of the body is also the major organ for the detoxification of the blood stream. If the accumulation of toxins is faster than their removal by liver, hepatic damage occurs. Although synthetic drugs are available in the market, long term use of such drugs has consequential side effects. Therefore, the growing need to find safe, costeffective drugs devoid of adverse effects is spawning extensive research. Mushrooms are rising as a major medicinal food and pharmaceuticals. This review summarizes the medicinal value of different edible mushrooms on free radical, xenobiotic and drug induced hepatotoxicity.

Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.: Fr.) Murr. as Food as Medicine

“…Therefore, extensive research is needed to find safe and cost effective drug. 63 Recently, Sun et al (2014) isolated eburicoic acid and trametenolic acid B from L. sulphureus and evaluated their hepatoprotective activity using Sprague-Dawley rats. They made hepatic fibrosis models induced by CCl 4 and evaluated content of AST and ALT, levels of liver cell injury and degree of liver fibrosis.…”

Influence of extraction parameters on physico-chemical characters and antioxidant activity of water soluble polysaccharides from Macrocybe gigantea (Massee) Pegler & Lodge

“…R. Heim; Termitomyces medius R. Heim & Grassé etc. (Khatua et al 2013(Khatua et al , 2015Chatterjee and Acharya 2015;Patra et al 2012). Macrocybe gigantea (Massee) Pegler & Lodge is also a medicinally potent edible mushroom which is common to West Bengal in rainy season.…”

A Comprehensive Review on Food and Medicinal Prospects of Astraeus hygrometricus

“…Liver damage being a global disorder usually caused by oxidative stress, 75 alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, galactosamine, paracetamol; chemotherapeutic agents and antitubercular drugs are causing hepatotoxicity and severe liver damage. 76,77 Throughout the world, studies have revealed that natural antioxidants may function in curing certain hepatic damages.…”

“…78 Hepatoprotective properties have also been reported for mushroom extracts and mushroom-derived molecules. 75 Current studies of revealed the hepatoprotective action of the ethanolic extract of A. hygrometricus against CCl 4 induced chronic hepatotoxicity in animal model. Results indicated that antioxidants present in the extract might terminate the chain reaction cascade of CCl 4 intoxication by scavenging the intermediates free radicals.…”