Diabetes Ameliorating Effect of Mushrooms and ameliorating diabetes

The growing impact of type 2 diabetes in the majority of the population requires the introduction of better and more secure treatments, but also requires the development of new prevention strategies to reduce the incidence and prevalence of the disease. Significantly, type 2 diabetes is an important preventable disease and can be prevented or delayed by lifestyle intervention. Edible and medicinal macrofungi, mushrooms have been reported having diabetes ameliorating effects. Current study reviews the potentiality of both edible and medicinal mushrooms in preventing and ameliorating the diabetic complications as well as the future aspects of mushrooms against this metabolic disorder.

Health promoting properties and functions of medicinal and culinary mushrooms for the COVID-19 era. An appraisal: does the “anti” mantra stack up?

Many mushroom species are consumed as food, while significant numbers are also utilised medicinally. Mushrooms are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. A growing body of in vitro, in vivo, and human research has revealed their therapeutic potentials. Some of the most notable benefits include such properties as anti-pathogenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, gut microbiota enhancement, and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 specificity. The use of medicinal mushrooms (MMs) as extracts in nutraceuticals and other health products are burgeoning. COVID-19 presents an opportunity to consider how, and if, specific MM compounds might be utilised therapeutically to mitigate associated risk factors, reduce disease severity, and support recovery. As vaccines become a mainstay, MMs may have the potential as an adjunct therapy to enhance immunity. In the context of COVID-19, this review explores current research about MMs to identify the key properties claimed to confer health benefits. Considered also are barriers or limitations that may impact general recommendations on MMs as therapy. It is contended that the extraction method used to isolate bioactive compounds must be a primary consideration for efficacious targeting of physiological endpoints. Mushrooms commonly available for culinary use and obtainable as a dietary supplement for medicinal purposes are included in this review. Specific properties related to these mushrooms have been considered due to their potential mediating effects on human exposure to the SARS CoV-2 virus and the ensuing COVID-19 disease processes.

Medicinal Mushrooms Ophiocordyceps Sinensis and Paecilomyces Hepiali

The fungi of the genus Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) belong to entomopathogenic fungi. Ophiocordyceps sinensis has been used as a tonic and medicinal product in China for more than 2,000 years. A number of scientific papers have described the clinical use of this parasitic fungus with subsequent biological and pharmacological effects. The various chemical compounds identified in these fungi are responsible for a wide range of biological activity: cordycepin, cordycepic acid, D-mannitol, polysaccharides, nucleotides, proteins, amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids. Our research focused on the determinations of the biologically active chemical compounds in extracts from cultivated Ophiocordyceps fungi using UV/VIS (Ultraviolet/Visible) spectrophotometry and NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy. The testing of antimicrobial activity of extracts against the collection strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated that the percentage of RIZD (relative inhibition zone diameter) ranged from 83 % to 166 %. The increased antimicrobial activity against E. coli was observed in comparison with that against S. aureus.

Development of Novel Forms of Fungal Art Using Aspergillus nidulans

Fungi are embedded in human culture, tradition, and art, and have featured as inspirational and visual motifs. Psychedelic and medicinal mushrooms have been sculpted, painted, and ingested by our ancestors since prehistory. In modern times, the growing divide between the arts and sciences has delegated fungal art to a niche activity, with the bulk of the focus being on mycelium as a biomaterial. A collaboration between a multidisciplinary artist and a research laboratory, specializing in the molecular study of Aspergillus molds, has allowed us to develop new forms of mycelial art. We describe in detail the development of fungal art techniques using nutrient-rich agar containing Aspergillus nidulans conidia spotted on glass acrylic surfaces or impregnated onto etched acrylic blocks. This approach generates visually and temporally dynamic artwork that is user-friendly, safe, relatively resistant to contamination and easily scalable. Moreover, it offers countless avenues of artistic development based on the diversity of colors, textures and shapes afforded by different fungal species.

Systematic analysis of the lysine malonylome in Sanghuangporus sanghuang

Background Sanghuangporus sanghuang is a well-known traditional medicinal mushroom associated with mulberry. Despite the properties of this mushroom being known for many years, the regulatory mechanisms of bioactive compound biosynthesis in this medicinal mushroom are still unclear. Lysine malonylation is a posttranslational modification that has many critical functions in various aspects of cell metabolism. However, at present we do not know its role in S. sanghuang. In this study, a global investigation of the lysine malonylome in S. sanghuang was therefore carried out. Results In total, 714 malonyl modification sites were matched to 255 different proteins. The analysis indicated that malonyl modifications were involved in a wide range of cellular functions and displayed a distinct subcellular localization. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that malonylated proteins were engaged in different metabolic pathways, including glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Notably, a total of 26 enzymes related to triterpene and polysaccharide biosynthesis were found to be malonylated, indicating an indispensable role of lysine malonylation in bioactive compound biosynthesis in S. sanghuang. Conclusions These findings suggest that malonylation is associated with many metabolic pathways, particularly the metabolism of the bioactive compounds triterpene and polysaccharide. This paper represents the first comprehensive survey of malonylation in S. sanghuang and provides important data for further study on the physiological function of lysine malonylation in S. sanghuang and other medicinal mushrooms.

Ethnomycological Study of Wild Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms in District Jammu, J&K, India

Background: Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has a rich tradition of usage of wild edible mushrooms (WEM) for culinary and medicinal purposes. But very few studies, restricted to some regions of the Union Territory, have been conducted to enlist the WEM. District Jammu has never been explored for WEM. Moreover, the quantification of the traditional knowledge of WEM has not been carried out as yet in J&K. Therefore, the present study was conducted in Jammu district with aims of; enlisting the WEM and its usage, finding the most used WEM, and enumerating the consensus of usage for a species and associated knowledge. Methods: Data of use reports was collected as per semi–structured questionnaire from 192 randomly selected informants. The cultural importance index (CI) and informant consensus factor (Fic) were calculated on the basis of use reports. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the significance of differences in the usage of WEM among the different informant categories.Results: Results of the present study show that the locals were having the knowledge of fourteen fleshy fungi that are mainly utilized for culinary purposes. They also affirmed various medicinal values of some of these fungi. Termitomyces sp. (CI, 0.57) was the most important and diversely used species. Termitomyces heimii, Termitomyces clypeatus and Termitomyces striatus var. annulatus were the other frequently consumed species by the locals. More than 78.6% of these WEM were new records as culinary and medicinal for Jammu and Kashmir (UT). Agaricaceae and Lyophyllaceae were the largest families and Termitomyces (5 species) the most represented genera. Females, elders, and informants who have not attended schools were having significantly (P<0.05) higher information regarding WEM. The maximum consensus was recorded for the use of WEM as culinary with 596 citations and 0.98 Fic, and the minimum homogeneity was found for their use in skin diseases (42 citations and 0.76 Fic).Conclusion: The inhabitants of district Jammu had good knowledge of WEM, but no documentation, lying of most of the information with elders and uneducated people, and destruction of forests and other natural habitats of WEM pose serious threat of losing this valuable information in near future. An ardent need is to educate locals regarding regionally available WEM. Further studies are recommended for developing protocols of cultivation of these WEM so that their future availability is ascertained along with creating income resources for the local population.

Mushrooms (Basidiomycetes) as a significant source of biologically active compounds for malaria control

Mushrooms represent a large family of fleshy fungi that have been of high interest since ancient ages due to their medicinal and nutritional importance. Therefore, it can represent a significant source of bioactive compounds in malaria control. The few numbers of studies on <i>in vitro</i> antiplasmodial and insecticidal properties of their extracts and chemical constituents led to interesting results reported in numerous scientific publications. This review aims to provide a comprehensive compilation of literature up to 2021 on the antiplasmodial, insecticidal as well as cytotoxic chemical constituents of medicinal mushrooms that can help in the management of malaria both against the parasite <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> and the mosquitoe <i>Anopheles stephensis</i> acting as a vector of malaria through its bites. For this purpose, some searches have been done in some online libraries using keywords like Basidiomycete, mushroom, malaria, <i>Plasmodium</i>, <i>Anopheles</i> and antiplasmodial without language restriction. Among the reported compounds, 51 selected ones displayed significant antiplasmodial potency with IC₅₀ values lower than 10 μM against <i>P. falciparum</i> strains sensitive or resistant to chloroquine. For instance, ganoderic acid AW1 demonstrated a strong antiplasmodial activity with IC₅₀ of 257.8 nM against <i>P. falciparum</i> D6, while strong activities were displayed by ganoweberianones A (IC₅₀ = 0.050 μM) and B (IC₅₀ = 0.46 μM) against <i>P. falciparum</i> K1. Moreover, some mushroom methanol extracts demonstrated good larvicidal and ovicidal activities against <i>Anopheles stephensis</i>. This paper provides further insights into the development of new antiplasmodial drugs or new potent eco-friendly pesticides to control mosquito vectors.

Proteomic Research on Medicinal Mushrooms Antitumor Properties

Medicinal mushrooms are increasingly being recognized as an important therapeutic modality in complementary oncology. Until now, more than 800 mushroom species have been known to possess significant pharmacological properties, of which antitumor and immunomodulatory properties have been the most researched. Besides a number of medicinal mushroom preparations being used as dietary supplements and nutraceuticals, several isolates from mushrooms have been used as official antitumor drugs in clinical settings for several decades. Various proteomic approaches allow for the identification of a large number of differentially regulated proteins serendipitously, thereby providing an important platform for a discovery of new potential therapeutic targets and approaches as well as biomarkers of malignant disease. This review is focused on the current state of proteomic research into antitumor mechanisms of some of the most researched medicinal mushroom species, including Phellinus linteus, Ganoderma lucidum, Auricularia auricula, Agrocybe aegerita, Grifola frondosa, and Lentinus edodes, as whole body extracts or various isolates, as well as of complex extract mixtures.