Biological and pharmaceutical activities of mushroom β-Glucan discussed as a potential functional food ingredient

Publication date: Available online 27 December 2017
Source:Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre
Author(s): Asma Ashraf Khan, Adil Gani, Firdous A. Khanday, F.A. Masoodi
Mushroom species have been recognized as medicinal plant due to presence of various bioactive compounds. The well known bioactive compound for biological and pharmaceutical activities present in mushroom species is β-glucan. The β-glucan from other sources like yeasts and cereals is well summarized in the literature, but mushroom β-glucan is not well documented. Mushroom β-glucans provide a unique opportunity for the discovery of novel therapeutic agents and have attracted a great deal of attention due to many health benefits such as immunomodulatory, anticancerous, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, antioxidative and antimicrobial activities. Mushroom β-glucans have the potential to enhance innate and cell mediated immune response. They exhibit varying degree of antitumor activities in humans due to the difference in their structure, water solubility, size and molecular mass; these differences in turn contribute to their medicinal properties. This review summarizes the literature on the structure-function relationship and nutraceutical potential of β-glucan obtained from various mushroom species.



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