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Current advances in Phellinus sensu lato: medicinal species, functions, metabolites and mechanisms

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Abstract

Twenty-six species of Phellinus sensu lato, reported as medicinal mushrooms, are enumerated in this review. The species’ names were checked and revised according to contemporary taxonomy and the latest version of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Vienna Code); two misapplied names of Phellinus baumii Pilát and Phellinus himalayensis Y.C. Dai in previous reports are also discussed. Of the 20 types of medicinal functions, the most shared functions are antitumor and improving immunity, both of which may be viewed as the basal functions of Phellinus s. l. In addition, alleviating septic shock, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidation are also a routine functions mentioned often. The main medicinal metabolites, including several kinds of polysaccharides and polyphenols, are introduced. Different methods and conditions could purify various polysaccharides with difference in activity level even from the same species, while all polyphenols are hispidin and its derivatives in general. Three aspects of mechanism contribute to antitumor activities of polysaccharides: (1) promoting an immune response, (2) inducing cell apoptosis, and (3) inhibiting metastasis. Other general mechanisms of the metabolites in antioxidant activity, and in treating diabetes, as well as complications are summarized. We also elaborate on potential scientific strategies for obtaining the medicinal metabolites from Phellinus s. l., such as artificial cultivation, the discoveries of more species with medicinal functions, the utilization of species growing quickly, and the optimization of culture conditions and media supplements in fermentation.

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Acknowledgments

We express our gratitude to Drs. Yong-Sheng Che (Beijing, China), Ping Zhu (Beijing, China), and Prof. Kevin D. Hyde (Chiang Rai, Thailand) for improving the manuscript. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (project no. 30910103907) and the Ministry Science and Technology of China (project no. 2005DFA30280, 2007AA021506). Cony Decock acknowledges the financial support received from the Belgian State through the Belgian Federal Science Policy (contract BCCM C3/10/003) and Wallonie Bruxelles International through a bilateral cooperation program with China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Microbiology, Beijing Forestry University, P.O. Box 61, Beijing, 100083, China

    Yu-Cheng Dai & Bao-Kai Cui

  2. Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Yu-Cheng Dai & Li-Wei Zhou

  3. Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Li-Wei Zhou

  4. Agricultural College of Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin Province, 133400, China

    Yan-Qiu Chen

  5. Mycothèque de l’Université catholique de Louvain (MUCL, MBLA), Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 3, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Cony Decock

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  1. Yu-Cheng Dai
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  2. Li-Wei Zhou
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  3. Bao-Kai Cui
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  4. Yan-Qiu Chen
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Correspondence to Yu-Cheng Dai.

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Dai, YC., Zhou, LW., Cui, BK. et al. Current advances in Phellinus sensu lato: medicinal species, functions, metabolites and mechanisms. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 87, 1587–1593 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2711-3

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