Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun;45(6):e13748.
doi: 10.1111/jfbc.13748. Epub 2021 May 17.

Biological activities of Pleurotus spp. polysaccharides: A review

Aparajita Sharma  1 , Aditi Sharma  2 , Astha Tripathi  1
Affiliations
Review

Biological activities of Pleurotus spp. polysaccharides: A review

Aparajita Sharma et al. J Food Biochem. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Mushrooms are consumed for their nutrients and therapeutic bioactive compounds and are used medicinally in Chinese and Japanese medicine traditions since time immemorial. Members of the genus Pleurotus form a heterogeneous group of edible species with outstanding nutritional profiles rich in fiber, vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, ergosterine, and niacin), micro and macro-elements (phosphorus and iron), and carbohydrates. Pleurotus is one of the most diversified medicinal and edible mushrooms related to the composition of chemical structures such as polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and secondary metabolites such as alkaloids and betalains. The cultivation of Pleurotus spp. on lignocellulosic wastes represents one of the most economically and cost-effective organic recycling processes, especially for the utilization of different feasible and cheap recyclable residues. Also, several Pleurotus spp. have the ability to remove phenolic compounds from wastewater with the action of phenoloxidase activity. Here, we have reviewed the chemistry of such polysaccharides and their reported biological activities, namely, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic, anti-tumor, antioxidant, etc. The mechanism of action and effects of novel polysaccharides extracted from various species of Pleurotus have been studied. The current study will be beneficial for guiding future research projects on the above concept and investigating more deeply the health of human beings. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Mushrooms are one of the most delicious foods around the globe and have many medicinal properties for decades. Various Pleurotus species have been in focus in recent years because of their palatability and medicinal importance too. It contains many bioactive compounds among which polysaccharides are valued to a great extent. Many biological activities are exerted by polysaccharides derived from the Pleurotus spp., namely, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and many more. They are responsible for significant physiological responses in animals, animal-alternative in vitro models, and humans. Their important physicochemical characteristics benefit their use in the food industry as well. So, the biological activities of these Pleurotus spp. polysaccharides will provide an insight to develop Pleurotus spp. as functional foods, because of their nutritional value and presence of bioactive components.

Keywords: Pleurotus spp.; biological activities; mushrooms; polysaccharides.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Al-Saffar, A. Z., Hadi, N. A., & Khalaf, H. M. (2020). Antitumor activity of β-glucan extracted from Pleurotus eryngii. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 14(3), 2493.
    1. Bao, D., Kinugasa, S., & Kitamoto, Y. (2004). The biological species of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) from Asia based on mating compatibility tests. Journal of Wood Science, 50(2), 162-168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-003-0540-z
    1. Barbosa, J. R., Freitas, M. M. S., Oliveira, L. C., Martins, L. H. S., Almada-Vilhena, A. O., Oliveira, R. M., Pieczarka, J. C., Davi do Socorro, B, & Carvalho Junior, R. N. (2020). Obtaining extracts rich in antioxidant polysaccharides from the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus using binary system with hot water and supercritical CO2. Food Chemistry, 330, 127173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127173
    1. Barh, A., Sharma, V. P., Annepu, S. K., Kamal, S., Sharma, S., & Bhatt, P. (2019). Genetic improvement in Pleurotus (oyster mushroom): A review. 3 Biotech, 9(9), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-019-1854-x
    1. Cai, Z., Li, W., Wang, H., Yan, W., Zhou, Y., Wang, G., Cui, J., & Wang, F. (2012). Anti-tumor and immunomodulating activities of a polysaccharide from the root of Sanguisorba officinalis L. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 51(4), 484-488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2012.05.029

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources