Mushrooms as Potential Sources of Active Metabolites and Medicines

Abstract

BackgroundMushrooms exist as an integral and vital component of the ecosystem and are very precious fungi. Mushrooms have been traditionally used in herbal medicines for many centuries.Scope and ApproachThere are a variety of medicinal mushrooms mentioned in the current work such as Agaricus, Amanita, Calocybe, Cantharellus, Cordyceps, Coprinus, Cortinarius, Ganoderma, Grifola, Huitlacoche, Hydnum, Lentinus, Morchella, Pleurotus, Rigidoporus, Tremella, Trametes sp., etc., which play a vital role in various diseases because of several metabolic components and nutritional values. Medicinal mushrooms can be identified morphologically on the basis of their size, color (white, black, yellow, brown, cream, pink and purple-brown, etc.), chemical reactions, consistency of the stalk and cap, mode of attachment of the gills to the stalk, and spore color and mass, and further identified at a molecular level by Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions of gene sequencing. There are also other methods that have recently begun to be used for the identification of mushrooms such as high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), microscopy, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), DNA sequencing, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), chemical finger printing, ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LCMS-TOF) and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Lately, the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technique is also used for the identification of fungi.Key Finding and ConclusionMedicinal mushrooms possess various biological activities like anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-microbial, hepatoprotective, anti-HIV, anti-diabetic, and many others that will be mentioned in this article. This manuscript will provide future direction, action mechanisms, applications, and the recent collective information of medicinal mushrooms. In addition to many unknown metabolites and patented active metabolites are also included.

Chemical screening identifies the anticancer properties of Polyporous parvovarius

“…Mushrooms synthesize secondary metabolites, bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, steroids, terpenes and peptides 32 . These metabolites have many medicinal properties, such as anti-tumor and antioxidant 32 .…”

“…Mushrooms synthesize secondary metabolites, bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, steroids, terpenes and peptides 32 . These metabolites have many medicinal properties, such as anti-tumor and antioxidant 32 . Because secondary metabolites of mushrooms are non-toxic and have few or no side effects, their medicinal potential takes precedence over other natural compounds 33 .…”

A Comparative Study of Lactarius Mushrooms: Chemical Characterization, Antibacterial, Antibiofilm, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity

“…Nowadays, different dietary products based on mushrooms are used for the prevention as well as alleviation of the symptoms of different diseases. Mushroom-based products cannot completely replace commercial drugs, but in combination with their use, they can lead to an improvement in the general condition of the patient [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Considering factors such as nutrition, health care and socioeconomic changes to supplement existing food and drugs, the cultivation and commercialization of wild-growing mushrooms that can serve as a nutraceutical, foods, and/or pharmaceutical ingredient is a promising area of research for scientists [ 1 ].…”

Cordyceps mushroom with increased cordycepin content by the cultivation on edible insects

“…There are many types of mushrooms with characteristic aroma and texture, which attract great attention. They are considered healthy foods due to their low calorie and various beneficial ingredients such as polysaccharides, phenolics, and triterpenoids ( Bhambri et al, 2022 ). Cordyceps militaris , also commonly known as Cordyceps , is an edible mushroom that grows on insects in natural environments.…”