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Review
. 2016 Dec 24;2(1):13-22.
doi: 10.1016/j.synbio.2016.12.001. eCollection 2017 Mar.

Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant properties from mushrooms

Carmen Sánchez  1
Affiliations
Review

Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant properties from mushrooms

Carmen Sánchez. Synth Syst Biotechnol. .

Abstract

Preventive medicine and food industry have shown an increased interest in the development of natural antioxidants, since those most commonly used synthetic antioxidants may have restricted use in food. This could explain why there is currently much research on the antioxidant properties from natural products such as mushrooms. Many mushrooms have been reported to possess antioxidant properties, which enable them to neutralize free radicals. The oxygen molecule is a free radical, which lead to the generation of the reactive oxygen species and can damage the cells. Cell damage caused by free radicals appears to be a major contributor to aging and degenerative diseases. Mushrooms antioxidant components are found in fruit bodies, mycelium and culture both, which include polysaccharides, tocopherols, phenolics, carotenoids, ergosterol and ascorbic acid among others. Fruit bodies or mycelium can be manipulated to produce active compounds in a relatively short period of time, which represent a significant advantage in antioxidant compounds extraction from mushrooms. Antioxidant compounds may be extracted to be used as functional additives or mushrooms can be incorporated into our food regime, representing an alternative source of food to prevent damage caused by oxidation in the human body.

Keywords: ABTS•+, 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) radical cation; Antioxidant; DPPH•, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl; Fruit body; Mushroom; Mycelium; NBT, nitroblue tetrazolium; ROS, reactive oxygen species; Reactive oxygen species; TEAC, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Illustrative representation of fungal cell wall components and stages of mushroom growth.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Schematic representation of a human cell, which can be damaged by free radicals generated from internal and external sources. Neutralizing of free radicals by an antioxidant agent is important to maintain a healthy cell.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Schematic representation of antioxidant system and antioxidant molecules.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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