Current Knowledge of Medicinal Mushrooms Related to Anti-Oxidant Properties

Background: A renewed focus on medicinal mushrooms has brought forth a sustainable health dimension. Conventional health strategies are insufficiently integrated with sustainable health promotion. The health-promoting outcome of mushrooms has fascinated many groups during the past few years because of various primary and secondary metabolites in different cellular components. They contain many bioactive metabolites, including proteins (cytokines, ergothioneine), fibers, moisture, carbohydrates (uronic acid), folate, thiamine, ascorbic acid, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, polysaccharides (G. lucidum polysaccharides, alpha and beta glucans, and lentinan) polyketides, polyphenols (Protocatechuic acid, inonoblins A-vanillic acid, phelligridins D, E, and G, hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, tannic acid, hispidine, gentisic acid, and tocopherol), nucleotides (adenosine, cordycepin), lovastatin, steroids, alkaloids, and sesquiterpenes. Objective: This study was conducted to gather information on the current knowledge of medicinal mushrooms, with respect to their antioxidant properties. Conclusions: The results indicated that mushrooms are a promising source of natural antioxidants. Of all mushrooms, the Ganoderma tsugae Murill exhibited an excellent antioxidant potential of 93.7-100% at 20 mg/mL.