Therapeutic potential of culinary-medicinal mushrooms for the management of neurodegenerative diseases: diversity, metabolite, and mechanism

Abstract

Mushrooms have long been used not only as food but also for the treatment of various ailments. Although at its infancy, accumulated evidence suggested that culinary-medicinal mushrooms may play an important role in the prevention of many age-associated neurological dysfunctions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Therefore, efforts have been devoted to a search for more mushroom species that may improve memory and cognition functions. Such mushrooms include Hericium erinaceus, Ganoderma lucidum, Sarcodon spp., Antrodia camphorata, Pleurotus giganteus, Lignosus rhinocerotis, Grifola frondosa, and many more. Here, we review over 20 different brain-improving culinary-medicinal mushrooms and at least 80 different bioactive secondary metabolites isolated from them. The mushrooms (either extracts from basidiocarps/mycelia or isolated compounds) reduced beta amyloid-induced neurotoxicity and had anti-acetylcholinesterase, neurite outgrowth stimulation, nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis, neuroprotective, antioxidant, and anti-(neuro)inflammatory effects. The in vitro and in vivo studies on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the bioactive effects of mushrooms are also discussed. Mushrooms can be considered as useful therapeutic agents in the management and/or treatment of neurodegeneration diseases. However, this review focuses on in vitro evidence and clinical trials with humans are needed.

• Alzheimer’s disease
• antioxidant
• culinary-medicinal mushroom
• neurite outgrowth
• nerve regeneration
• neurodegeneration
• neuroprotection
• secondary metabolite

Acknowledgements

The authors thank University of Malaya for Postgraduate Research Grant (PV007/2012A). This review is supported by UM High Impact Research Grant UM-MOHE UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/F00002-21001 from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. We are deeply indebted to Prof. Roger Keynes, Department of Physiology, Neuroscience and Development, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom for reviewing the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Supplementary material available online

Supplemental Table 1

Supplemental Figures 1–6.