A review on pharmacological insights of edible and medicinal mushroom based β-glucans
Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Do Thi Cat Tuong, Sungyeon Chin, Sureshbabu Anjana, Adhimoolam Karthikeyan, Taesun Min, In-Jung Kim
Abstract
Abstract Mushrooms are considered as health boosting medicinal fungi for hundred years that contains β -glucans mainly β-D-glucose, a bioactive components presents on the cell wall of fungi. β-glucans are not synthesized de novo but has important role in terms of immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and reducers of glycemic and lipidemic indexes. Edible and medicinal mushroom β-glucans have great contribution in many areas of the biotechnological development such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceutical products, and functional foods for human and animals. Mushroom β-glucans are reported to be pharmacologically safe, efficient and non-toxic even at higher doses. Mushroom β-glucans can act as a prebiotics which may have great effects on gut microbiota, improve gastrointestinal health and metabolic disorders. However, the efficacy of β-glucans depends on its structural differences, bioavailability, solubility, molecular weight and species of mushrooms. This review encompasses the pharmacological effect of β–glucans sourced from mushroom in terms of managing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), immunomodulating effects, gut microbial shifting, management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Crohn’s disease or colitis, different cancer treatments, emerging diseases like COVID-19 as well as animal health management. This review also tried to find out research gaps in mushroom β-glucans and future directions for nanobiotechnological development of mushroom β-glucans for human and animal welfare.