Macrofungi as a Promising Source of Nutraceuticals

Main Article Content

Samra Qaraghuli
Rasha Eldalawy
Noor Mohsen Nasser
Zahraa Abdulelah Al Naqqash

Abstract

Bioactive compounds known as nutraceuticals have a significant impact in human well-being. Recently, there has been a significant understanding of the numerous health-promoting properties and exceptional nutritional value of mushrooms. Macrofungi have been considered functional in treating several health issues such as tumor, hypertension, owing to their rich composition of primary and secondary metabolites.


This review explores the nutraceutical capabilities of Macrofungi, particularly focusing on their polysaccharides, which showcase a variety of properties such as anticancer, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and immunostimulatory effects. The potential of medicinal mushrooms is discussed, with an acknowledgment of the significant drawback of their taste. It is emphasized that claims about their benefits need robust support from scientific studies to uphold trust and confidence. Further scientific investigation is crucial to assess the efficacy of nutraceuticals sourced from macrofungi, while also tackling prevailing apprehensions regarding the inadequacy of quality assurance protocols within this domain

Article Details

Section

Reviews

How to Cite

Macrofungi as a Promising Source of Nutraceuticals. (2025). Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 25(2), 224-233. https://doi.org/10.32947/ajps.v25i2.1159

References

1- Anusiya G, Gowthama Prabu U, Yamini N, Sivarajasekar N, Rambabu K, Bharath G, Banat F. A review of the therapeutic and biological effects of edible and wild mushrooms. Bioengineered. 2021;12(2):11239-11268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21655979.2021.2001183

2- Ng BT, Wong JH. Fungal proteins with antiproliferative and anticancer activities. Protein and Peptide Letters. 2013;20(4):433-438. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/0929866511320040007

3- Badalyan SM, Barkhudaryan A, Rapior S. Recent progress in research on the pharmacological potential of mushrooms and prospects for their clinical application. Medicinal mushrooms: recent progress in research and development. 2019:1-70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6382-5_1

4- Boa ER. Wild edible fungi: a global overview of their use and importance to people.

5- Chang ST. World production of cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms in 1997 with emphasis on Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing, in China. International journal of medicinal mushrooms. 1999;1(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1615/IntJMedMushr.v1.i4.10

6- Cheah IK, Halliwell B. Could ergothioneine aid in the treatment of coronavirus patients? Antioxidants. 2020;9(7):595. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9070595

7- Chinembiri TN, Du Plessis LH, Gerber M, Hamman JH, Du Plessis J. Review of natural compounds for potential skin cancer treatment. Molecules. 2014;19(8):11679-11721. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules190811679

8- Cristine da Silva de Souza A, Gesser Correa V, de Almeida Goncalves G, Assuncao Soares A, Bracht A, Marina Peralta R. Agaricus blazei bioactive compounds and their effects on human health: benefits and controversies. Current pharmaceutical design. 2017;23(19):2807-2834. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666170119093719

9- Deepalakshmi K, Sankaran M. Pleurotus ostreatus: an oyster mushroom with nutritional and medicinal properties. Journal of Biochemical Technology. 2014;5(2):718-726.

10- El-Maradny YA, El-Fakharany EM, Abu-Serie MM, Hashish MH, Selim HS. Lectins purified from medicinal and edible mushrooms: Insights into their antiviral activity against pathogenic viruses. International journal of biological macromolecules. 2021;179:239-258. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.03.015

11- El Enshasy HA, Hatti-Kaul R. Mushroom immunomodulators: unique molecules with unlimited applications. Trends in biotechnology. 2013;31(12):668-677. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2013.09.003

12- Garcia J, Rodrigues F, Saavedra MJ, Nunes FM, Marques G. Bioactive polysaccharides from medicinal mushrooms: A review on their isolation, structural characteristics and antitumor activity. Food Bioscience. 2022;101955. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2022.101955

13- Goyal A, Kalia A. Pharmaceutic Prodigy of Ergosterol and Protein Profile of Ganoderma lucidum. Biology of Macrofungi. 2018:227-241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02622-6_11

14- Heleno SA, Barros L, Martins A, Queiroz MJR, Santos-Buelga C, Ferreira IC. Phenolic, polysaccharidic, and lipidic fractions of mushrooms from Northeastern Portugal: chemical compounds with antioxidant properties. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2012;60(18):4634-4640. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jf300739m

15- Ismaya WT, Damayanti S, Wijaya C, Tjandrawinata RR, Retnoningrum DS, Rachmawati H. In silico study to develop a lectin-like protein from mushroom Agaricus bisporus for pharmaceutical application. Scientia Pharmaceutica. 2016;84(1):203-217. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3797/scipharm.ISP.2015.11

16- Jeong SC, Koyyalamudi SR, Jeong YT, Song CH, Pang G. Macrophage immunomodulating and antitumor activities of polysaccharides isolated from Agaricus bisporus white button mushrooms. Journal of medicinal food. 2012;15(1):58-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2011.1704

17- Jiménez-Escrig A, Gómez-Ordóñez E, Rupérez P. Seaweed as a source of novel nutraceuticals: sulfated polysaccharides and peptides. Advances in food and nutrition research. 2011; 64:325-337. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-387669-0.00026-0

18- Kumar K, Mehra R, Guiné RP, Lima MJ, Kumar N, Kaushik R, et al. Edible Mushrooms: A comprehensive review on bioactive compounds with health benefits and processing aspects. Foods. 2021;10(12):2996. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10122996

19- Lagrange E, Vernoux J-P. Warning on false or true morels and button mushrooms with potential toxicity linked to hydrazinic toxins : An update. Toxins. 2020;12(8):482. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12080482

20- Lesa KN, Khandaker MU, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal F, Sharma R, Islam F, Mitra S, et al. Nutritional value, medicinal importance, and health-promoting effects of dietary mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). Journal of Food Quality. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2454180

21- Li S, Liu H, Wang W, Wang X, Zhang C, Zhang J, et al. Antioxidant and anti-aging effects of acidic-extractable polysaccharides by Agaricus bisporus. International journal of biological macromolecules. 2018; 106:1297-1306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.08.135

22- Loncar J, Bellich B, Parroni A, Reverberi M, Rizzo R, Zjalić S, et al. Oligosaccharides derived from Tramesan: Their structure and activity on mycotoxin inhibition in Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus carbonarius. Biomolecules. 2021;11(2):243. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11020243

23- Lu H, Lou H, Hu J, Liu Z, Chen Q. Macrofungi: A review of cultivation strategies, bioactivity, and application of mushrooms. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety. 2020;19(5):2333-2356. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12602

24- Mandal S. Beauty, Diversity, and Potential Uses of Certain Macrofungi. In Biology, Cultivation and Applications of Mushrooms. Springer; 2022:3-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6257-7_1

25- Mleczek M, Gąsecka M, Budka A, Niedzielski P, Siwulski M, Kalač P, et al. Changes in mineral composition of six strains of Pleurotus after substrate modifications with different share of nitrogen forms. European Food Research and Technology. 2021; 247:245-257. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-020-03622-9

26- Motta F, Gershwin ME, Selmi C. Mushrooms and immunity. Journal of Autoimmunity. 2021; 117:102576. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2020.102576

27- Muszyńska B, Sułkowska-Ziaja K, Łojewski M, Opoka W, Zając M, Rojowski J. Edible mushrooms in prophylaxis and treatment of human diseases. Medicina Internacia Revuo. 2013;101(25):170-183.

28- Ogidi CO, Oyetayo VO, Akinyele BJ. Wild medicinal mushrooms: potential applications in phytomedicine and functional foods. An Introduction to Mushroom. 2020:118-126.

29- Patel DK, Dutta SD, Ganguly K, Cho S-J, Lim K-T. Mushroom-derived bioactive molecules as immunotherapeutic agents: A review. Molecules. 2021;26(5):1359. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051359

30- Patel S, Goyal A. Recent developments in mushrooms as anti-cancer therapeutics: a review. 3 Biotech. 2012;2:1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-011-0036-2

31- Pérez‐Moreno J, Guerin‐Laguette A, Rinaldi AC, Yu F, Verbeken A, Hernández‐Santiago F, et al. Edible mycorrhizal fungi of the world: What is their role in forest sustainability, food security, biocultural conservation and climate change? Plants, People, Planet. 2021;3(5):471-490. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10199

32- Rathore H, Prasad S, Sharma S. Mushroom nutraceuticals for improved nutrition and better human health: A review. PharmaNutrition. 2017;5(2):35-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phanu.2017.02.001

33- Sánchez C. Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant properties from mushrooms. Synthetic and systems biotechnology. 2017;2(1):13-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.synbio.2016.12.001

34- Sande D, de Oliveira GP, e Moura MAF, de Almeida Martins B, Lima MTNS, Takahashi JA. Edible mushrooms as a ubiquitous source of essential fatty acids. Food Research International. 2019; 125:108524. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108524

35- Settaluri V, Kandala C, Puppala N, Sundaram J. Peanuts and their nutritional aspects—a review.

36- Swallah MS, Sun H, Affoh R, Fu H, Yu H. Antioxidant potential overviews of secondary metabolites (polyphenols) in fruits. International journal of food science. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9081686

37- Synytsya A, Čopíková J, Kim WJ, Park YI. Cell wall polysaccharides of marine algae. Springer handbook of marine biotechnology. 2015:543-590. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53971-8_22

38- Taofiq O, Barreiro MF, Ferreira IC. The role of bioactive compounds and other metabolites from mushrooms against skin disorders-a systematic review assessing their cosmeceutical and nutricosmetic outcomes. Current medicinal chemistry. 2020;27(41):6926-6965. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/0929867327666200402100157

39- Valverde ME, Hernández-Pérez T, Paredes-López O. Edible mushrooms: improving human health and promoting quality life. International journal of microbiology. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/376387

40- Venturella G, Ferraro V, Cirlincione F, Gargano ML. Medicinal mushrooms: bioactive compounds, use, and clinical trials. International journal of molecular sciences. 2021;22(2):634. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22020634

41- Venturella G, Saporita P, Gargano ML. The potential role of medicinal mushrooms in the prevention and treatment of gynecological cancers: a review. International journal of medicinal mushrooms. 2019;21(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2019030289

42- Vlassopoulou M, Yannakoulia M, Pletsa V, Zervakis GI, Kyriacou A. Effects of fungal beta-glucans on health–a systematic review of randomized

43- Vlassopoulou M, Yannakoulia M, Pletsa V, Zervakis GI, Kyriacou A. Effects of fungal beta-glucans on health–a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Food & Function. 2021;12(8):3366-3380. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D1FO00122A

44- Wasser SP. Reishi or ling zhi (Ganoderma lucidum). Encyclopedia of dietary supplements. 2005; 1:603-622.

45- Werner GH, Jollès P. Immunostimulating agents: what next? A review of their present and potential medical applications. European Journal of Biochemistry. 1996;242(1):1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1432-1033.1996.0001r.x

46- Yang Y, Zhang H, Zuo J, Gong X, Yi F, Zhu W, Li L. Advances in research on the active constituents and physiological effects of Ganoderma lucidum. Biomedical Dermatology. 2019;3(1):1-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41702-019-0044-0

47- Zhu F, Du B, Xu B. A critical review on production and industrial applications of beta-glucans. Food Hydrocolloids. 2016; 52:275-288. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2015.07.003

48- Zong A, Cao H, Wang F. Anticancer polysaccharides from natural resources: A review of recent research. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2012;90(4):1395-1410. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2012.07.026

49- Nidhal, M. K., Ekbal, A.-K. H., & M., A.-W. (2005). Topical preparations from the Iraqi plant aloe vera and their efficacy in skin infections. Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2(1), 7–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32947/ajps.v2i1.415

50- Aziz, F. M. (2010). The Study of Antibacterial Activity of Juglans Regia and Thymus Vulgaris Seeds. Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 7(1), 64–72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32947/ajps.v7i1.318

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.