Nature and chemistry of bioactive components of wild edible mushrooms
May 31, 2022 Predrag Petrović, Jovana Vunduk 2 citations
Mushroom-forming fungi produce a wide range of unique metabolites, including polysaccharides, terpenoids, polyketides, and amino compounds, that exhibit various biological effects. The most studied application is cancer treatment, where mushrooms provide compounds with direct antitumor effects and immunomodulating polysaccharides like β-glucans that stimulate the immune system against cancer cells. Clinically proven glucan-based products such as lentinan from Lentinula edodes and PSK from Trametes versicolor benefit certain cancer types. Mushrooms also yield potent cytotoxic compounds (illudins, clitocine, ganoderic acids) and antimicrobial agents, with pleuromutilin leading to new drugs approved for human use. Psychedelic mushrooms and psilocybin are studied as therapies for depression, and mushroom consumption is linked to improved sugar and lipid metabolism, though claims about vitamin content may be overstated; production can be manipulated to increase compounds like vitamin D.