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Mushrooms – From Traditional Remedies to the Modern Therapeutics

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Mushrooms with Therapeutic Potentials

Abstract

Although the living standard and life expectancy have been increasing significantly, we face numerous arising challenges in modern medicine, such as the presence of increasing exogenous triggers of oxidative stress that lead to the emergence of multiple diseases and disorders, the appearance of an increasing number of resistant microorganisms, an immense number of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders as well as autoimmune and rare diseases. Therefore, we need the help of natural sources of active compounds, among which mushrooms are important. They have been an integral part of traditional medicine for centuries, and modern research has confirmed their bioactivities and given them a scientific basis. Numerous species, primarily from the genera Ganoderma, Lentinus, Pleurotus, Innonotus, Trametes, Cordyceps, Agaricus, etc., have shown exceptional immunomodulatory, antioxidative, antihypercholesterolemic, antihypertensive, antitumor, antineurodegenerative, antidiabetic, antimicrobial as well as numerous other potentials. Studies have shown that the mushrooms’ crude extracts, as well as various metabolites, especially polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and proteins, possess mentioned activities and thereby could be the basis for the development of new, more efficient drugs. However, numerous problems and challenges need to be overcome before mushrooms from the domain of traditional medicine move into the modern one and become part of conventional therapy.

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Abbreviations

ACE:

angiotensin-converting enzyme

AChE:

acetylcholinesterase

AP-1:

transcription factor

Bax:

a central cell death regulator

Bcl-2:

a protein that regulates cell apoptosis

BHA:

butylated hydroxyanisole

BHT:

butylated hydroxytoluene

CAT:

catalase

DPPH•:

2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate free radical

EC50:

half maximal effective concentration

GLUT-2:

glucose 2 transporter in the liver

GLUT-4:

glucose 2 transporter in the muscles

GPx:

glutathione peroxidase

HDL:

high-density lipoproteins

HMG-CoA reductase:

hemoglobin-coenzyme A reductase

IFN-γ:

interferon gamma

IL:

interleukin

IARC:

International Agency for Research on Cancer

LDL:

low-density lipoproteins

L-DOPA:

amino acid known as l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine

LEP:

polysaccharide from Lentinus edodes

mRNA:

messenger RNA

NF-κB:

nuclear transcription factor

NO:

nitric oxide

p53:

a nuclear transcription factor

PG:

propyl gallate

PPAR-γ:

peroxisome proliferator-active receptor-γ

PSK:

Krestin

PSP:

polysaccharide-peptide complex

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

TBHQ:

tert-butylated hydroxyquinone

Th2:

T helper 2 cell

TNF:

tumor necrosis factor

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (451-03-68/2022-14/200178).

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Correspondence to Mirjana Stajić .

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Stajić, M., Galić, M., Ćilerdžić, J. (2023). Mushrooms – From Traditional Remedies to the Modern Therapeutics. In: Agrawal, D.C., Dhanasekaran, M. (eds) Mushrooms with Therapeutic Potentials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9550-7_5

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