Medicinal Properties and Bioactive Compounds from Wild Mushrooms Native to North America

Abstract

Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi, are known for a long time in different cultures around the world to possess medicinal properties and are used to treat various human diseases. Mushrooms that are parts of traditional medicine in Asia had been extensively studied and this has led to identification of their bioactive ingredients. North America, while home to one of the world’s largest and diverse ecological systems, has not subjected its natural resources especially its diverse array of mushroom species for bioprospecting purposes: Are mushrooms native to North America a good source for drug discovery? In this review, we compile all the published studies up to September 2020 on the bioprospecting of North American mushrooms. Out of the 79 species that have been investigated for medicinal properties, 48 species (60%) have bioactivities that have not been previously reported. For a mere 16 selected species, 17 new bioactive compounds (10 small molecules, six polysaccharides and one protein) have already been isolated. The results from our literature search suggest that mushrooms native to North America are indeed a good source for drug discovery.

Macrofungi as a Nutraceutical Source: Promising Bioactive Compounds and Market Value

“…The most explored species for their medicinal value are Antrodia cinnamomea, Ganoderma lingzhi-G. sichuanense, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Phellinus linteus, and Xylaria nigripes [17,26,27]. Numerous bioactive compounds have been found in their fruiting bodies or cultured mycelium, such as alkaloids, carotenoids, enzymes, fats, folates, glycosides, lectins, minerals, organic acids, phenolics, polysaccharides, proteins, terpenoids, tocopherols, and volatile compounds in general [5,28,29]. The fruiting bodies of macrofungi have approximately 70-95% moisture content, with abundant carbohydrates (50-65%), proteins (19-35%), and some fats (2-6%) [21], in which many are bioactive constituents, such as polysaccharides, biologically active proteins (enzymes, lectins, and ergothioneine), unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic), phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and polyphenols), vitamins (A, B complex, C), and dietary fibers [26,30].…”

The Effect of Edible Mushroom on Health and Their Biochemistry

“…In some types of mushrooms, beta-carotene and linoleic acid are also found which induce inhibition of auto-oxidation [ 71 ]. Mushrooms also contain ergosterol, which is a precursor for the manufacture of vitamin D and is known for its effective role in antioxidant properties [ 72 ]. A study of methanolic extracts from black, red, and snow ear mushrooms found that mushrooms possess an inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and hydroxyl radical scavenging, and a strong reducing power and ability to chelate ferrous ions [ 73 ].…”

Albatrellus confluens (Alb. & Schwein.) Kotl. & Pouz.: Natural Fungal Compounds and Synthetic Derivatives with In Vitro Anthelmintic Activities and Antiproliferative Effects against Two Human Cancer Cell Lines

“…The column was monitored by UV lamp (254 and 366 nm). Fractions of 35 mL were collected as follows: [(1-6), n-hexane-EtOAc (90:10)] [ (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24), n-hexane-EtOAc (8:2)], [ (25)(26)(27)(28)(29), n-hexane-EtOAc (7:3)], [ (30), n-hexane-EtOAc (6:4)], [ (31), n-hexane-EtOAc (1:1)], [ (32), n-hexane-EtOAc (4:6)], [ (33), n-hexane-EtOAc (3:7)], [ (34), n-hexane-EtOAc (2:8)] [ (35), n-hexane-EtOAc (1:9)], [(36), EtOAc-MeOH (9:1)] [(37), MeOH (100%)]. These fractions were pooled according to their TLC profiles into 10 subfractions F1 to F10 as follows: F1 (1-3; 0.05 g), F2 (4-7; 2.13 g), F3 (8-10; 0.24 g), F4 (11-13; 0.04 g), F5 (14-18; 0.04 g), F6 (19-23; 1.96 g), F7 (24-28; 0.39 g), F8 (29-31; 0.12 g), F9 (32-35; 0.06 g), and F10 (36-37; 0.39 g).…”

“…There are 2.2-3.8 million species of fungi worldwide [13] and of these, between 140,000-160,000 are mushrooms and only about 10% of the mushrooms have been investigated [14,15]. Mushrooms have been used across the globe for their medicinal properties and they are sources of potent pharmaceuticals [16]. Edible mushrooms have shown anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus, which is also known as the barber's pole worm, and is a very common parasite and one of the most pathogenic nematodes of ruminants [17].…”