The Antioxidant Potential of Some Mushrooms

Source abstract

The Fungi kingdom is one of the largest taxon in systematics with estimated 1.5 million species. With distinct lifestyles, including saprophytism, parasitism and symbiotism, members of Fungi are not only crucial for natural material cycles but also important for human health since they contain various bioactive components with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-tumor, and immunomodulating activities. These components can be obtained both from the mycelia or the fruiting bodies of a fungus. People have appreciated mushrooms (fruiting bodies of fungi) for their culinary qualities and unique medicinal properties since ancient times. In recent years, with increasing health concerns and growing interest in alternative treatment methods, the nutritional and health-beneficial properties of mushrooms have become more remarkable. In particular, mushroom species with high antioxidant activity contain pharmacologically valuable components and are thought to have various positive effects on human health. Better understanding the potential of mushrooms as natural resources and integrating this knowledge into clinical practice is important for developing new strategies to improve human health. This review is based on recent research conducted on various mushroom species. Mushrooms with high antioxidant activity are reported to contribute to pharmacological studies and their positive effects on health are discussed.