Mushrooms, their bioactive compounds and medicinal uses: A review Thakur M.P., Singh Harvinder K. Department of Plant Pathology, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwvidyalaya, Raipur - 492 006, Chhattisgarh, India Corresponding author: M.P. Thakur e-mail: mp_thakur@yahoo.com
Online published on 20 April, 2013. Abstract Medicinal mushrooms have been shown to have profound health promoting benefits viz., immunomodulation, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, chemopreventive, antitumor, chemo and radio protective, sleep promoting, antibacterial, antiviral (including anti-HIV), hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, anti-fibrotic, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-androgenic, anti-angiogenic, anti-herpetic, antioxidative and radicalscavenging, anti-aging, estrogenic activity, anti-ulcer and many other exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties. Recent studies conducted all around the globe, are now confirming their medical efficacy and identifying many of the bioactive molecules (polysaccharides, tri-terpenoids, low molecular weight proteins, glycoproteins and immunomodulating compounds) which were not known to us earlier but recent advances in chemical technology have made it possible to isolate and purify some of these relevant compounds especially polysaccharides. The main medically important polysaccharides that have undergone extensive anticancer clinical trials include lentinan (Lentinula edodes), schizophyllan (Schizophyllum commune), PSK (polysaccharide-K, commercially sold as Krestin) and PSP (polysaccharopeptide) (Trametes versicolor), and Grifron-D (Grifola frondosa). All of these compounds are currently produced by Asian pharmaceutical companies. Methods of large-scale cultivation of many of the medicinal mushrooms by solid substrate and liquid culture fermentations are also available. Top Keywords Mushrooms, bioactive compounds, polysaccharides, polysaccharide protein complexes, Ganoderma lucidum, Cordyceps sinensis, medicinal importance. Top |