Selected Species of Medicinal/Arboreal Mushrooms as a Source of Substances with Antioxidant Properties

Abstract

Keeping the right balance between the production of free radicals and enzymatic/nonenzymatic antioxidant defense is a necessary condition for the proper functioning of the human body. Exposure to free radicals led to the development of endogenous defense mechanisms to eliminate them from the system. Natural products with antioxidant properties are able to efficiently support this endogenous defense system. The role of antioxidants in the prevention of excessive accumulation of oxidative stress and related diseases has been systematically more understood through the years. Hence, researchers are constantly searching for new, safe, natural sources of antioxidants. Due to their enormous biosynthetic potential, arboreal mushrooms are a recognized medicinal raw material utilized primarily in traditional Chinese medicine. Currently, they are appreciated more and more often in modern mycotherapy, as well as in the cosmetics industry. This review includes details on the morphology, ecology, and distribution in the natural environment of selected examples of arboreal medicinal mushroom species. Much attention was paid to the content of bioactive substances present in fruiting bodies and their therapeutic and prohealth applications, in connection with their antioxidant potential. Numerous studies indicate these species are rich sources of antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds, tocopherols, ascorbic acid, and carotenoids, as well as polysaccharides. Bioactive compounds present in the extracts obtained from mushrooms’ fruiting bodies act in a synergistic and additive mode; therefore, these species can be a potential source of substances that can be useful in the prevention of civilization diseases. This review compares the antioxidant potential of the following arboreal, medicinal mushrooms that are important from a medical point of view: Auricularia auricula-judae, Fomitopsis betulina, Fomitopsis officinalis, Ganoderma applanatum, Hericium erinaceus, Laetiporus sulphureus, Lentinula edodes, and Pleurotus ostreatus.