Bioactive Molecules in Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms for Human Wellness

Abstract

Mushrooms are now gaining popularity not only as an ordinary culinary ingredient, but as a healthy and whole functional food. This chapter describes three major categories of bioactive molecules found in edible and medicinal mushrooms. First is the mushroom’s polysaccharide which is widely accepted as a superior immune-modulatory agent. The mushroom β-glucans differ from the bacterial and plant glucans. Mushroom β-glucans consist of linear β-(1→3)-linked backbones with β-(1→6)-linked side chains of varying length and distribution. Several important β-glucans like lentinan, schizophyllan, grifolan, as well as polysaccharide krestin (PSK) and polysaccharopeptide, will be discussed. Next, the triterpenes family, which are highly conserved in Ganoderma species, will be elaborated further in this chapter. Finally, the indole alkaloids, which are important in mushroom as pigmentation inducer and hallucinogens, will be briefly discussed with emphasis on the psilocin and its derivatives. Other pharmacologically important mushroom-derived alkaloids will also be included. Overall, the potential to develop mushrooms as nutraceutical foods for human wellness, and their bioactive molecules for drugs, is huge.