Mushrooms: Reducing Inflammation, Boosting Health

Mushrooms have been used for their nutritional and medicinal value for thousands of years. They are rich in anti-inflammatory components, such as polysaccharides, phenolic and indolic compounds, mycosteroids, fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, and biometals. They have been shown to have beneficial effects on cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and other inflammatory diseases. However, some studies have suggested that mushrooms can increase inflammation and autoimmunity. This article will explore the effects of mushrooms on inflammation and discuss whether they cause or reduce inflammation.

Mushrooms are rich in anti-inflammatory components

Mushrooms have been shown to have beneficial effects on experimental cancer. They have also been used in traditional Oriental therapies. Hot-water-soluble fractions of medicinal mushrooms have been used as medicine in the Far East. Mushrooms have also begun to be sold as dietary supplements with a worldwide market value of around 5–6 billion US dollars per year.

Mushrooms contain anti-inflammatory compounds and may help reduce inflammation. They are very low in calories and rich in selenium, copper, and all of the B vitamins. They also contain phenols and other antioxidants that provide anti-inflammatory protection.

The anti-inflammatory properties of mushrooms are proven by their inhibition of the mediator cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme in mouse macrophage (RAW 264.7). The inhibitory effect of purified syringaldehyde and syringic acid on COX-2 activity showed a dose-dependent effect, with an IC50 of 3.5 and 0.4 μg/mL, respectively.

Mushrooms can suppress the production of inflammatory mediators

Mushrooms have been used extensively for their nutritional and medicinal value for thousands of years. Modern research confirms the therapeutic effect of traditionally used species. Mushrooms include a wide variety of bioactive compounds that have been linked to therapeutic and nutritional benefits, making them a potential source of new medications and functional foods.

Mushrooms have been shown to significantly inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and can be developed for clinical use as anti-inflammatory agents. Further research is required to establish the comparative efficacy between mushrooms and NSAIDs, especially in the in vivo inhibitory activity against the production of cyclooxygenase and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Mushrooms contain anti-inflammatory components such as polysaccharides, phenolic and indolic compounds, mycosteroids, fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, and biometals. For example, beta-glucans from the Pleurotus pulmonarius mushroom have been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. These studies demonstrated that the fruiting body, or mycelial extract, of the edible mushroom markedly attenuated or suppressed symptoms associated with dextran sulphate sodium-induced acute colitis in mice.

Additionally, water, methanolic, ethanolic, and ethyl acetate extracts of different epigeous and hypogeous mushrooms showed significant decreases in the activities of inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO), cytokines, and prostaglandins, thus inhibiting some macrophage functions and reducing cell inflammations.

Mushrooms have been used medicinally for thousands of years

In traditional Oriental therapies, hot-water-soluble fractions of medicinal mushrooms have been used as medicine for centuries. The Chinese have also used Tremella fuciformis as a yin tonic to promote health, long life, and beauty. Similarly, Chinese Taoist monks used Reishi, or Ganoderma lingzhi, to promote calmness and enhance their meditative practices. Chinese royalty revered Reishi as the "mushroom of immortality", believing it promoted longevity.

The First Peoples of North America also used puffball mushrooms as wound healers. Ötzi, the 5300-year-old Ice Man, carried amadou and birch polypore mushrooms in a pouch to help him survive in the Alps of northern Italy.

Modern science has recently begun to rediscover the medicinal properties of mushrooms, finding that they can be reservoirs of powerful medicines. Mushrooms contain a wide array of novel constituents that have important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidative, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, antidepressive, and antihyperlipidemic properties. For example, mushroom metabolites have been employed as potent, natural, and safe anti-inflammatory compounds based on their ability to reduce the production of inflammatory mediators.

Additionally, mushrooms have been found to have beneficial effects on cancer. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that certain mushrooms can suppress the growth of breast and colon cancer cells, while also enhancing the effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Mushrooms have been shown to modulate immunity

Mushrooms have been used extensively for their nutritional and medicinal value for thousands of years. Modern research confirms the therapeutic effect of traditionally used species. Mushrooms have been shown to modulate immunity, and their consumption has been suggested to improve health.

A number of isolated mushroom constituents have been shown to modulate immunity. Five commonly consumed edible mushrooms were tested to determine whether whole mushrooms stimulate the immune system in vitro and in vivo. The white button (WB) extracts readily stimulated macrophage production of TNF-α. The crimini, maitake, oyster, and shiitake extracts also stimulated TNF-α production in macrophage but the levels were lower than from WB stimulation. Primary cultures of murine macrophage and ovalbumin (OVA) specific T cells showed that whole mushroom extracts alone had no effect on cytokine production. However, co-stimulation with either lipopolysacharide or OVA induced TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β while decreasing IL-10.

Feeding mice diets that contained 2% WB mushrooms for 4 weeks had no effect on the ex vivo immune responsiveness or associated toxicity (changes in weight or pathology of liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract). This is not completely unexpected since it would certainly be harmful to have a commonly present dietary component induce or suppress normal immune function.

Mushrooms include a wide variety of bioactive compounds that have been linked to therapeutic and nutritional benefits, making them a potential source of new medications and functional foods. These bioactive molecules have shown significant efficacy in inhibiting the major pro-inflammatory biomarkers and associated pathways in in vivo and in vitro settings. This review demonstrated that mushrooms significantly inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and can be developed for clinical use as anti-inflammatory agents.

Mushrooms are rich in anti-inflammatory components, such as polysaccharides, phenolic and indolic compounds, mycosteroids, fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, and biometals. They also contain phenols and other antioxidants that provide anti-inflammatory protection.

Mushrooms are a potential source of new medications

Mushrooms have been consumed by humans for thousands of years, with ancient societies likely considering them a delicacy due to their flavour. Edible mushrooms are considered to be devoid of undesirable effects and have medicinal values. They are rich in essential nutrients, dietary fibres, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. They also contain high-quality proteins, including essential amino acids, and have excellent fatty acid content. Mushrooms also have low or no calories and cholesterol, and are known to have antioxidant properties.

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for a long time in Asian countries, but their use is now increasing in Western countries. They are defined as macroscopic fungi, mostly higher Basidiomycetes, and are used in the form of extracts or powder for the prevention, alleviation, or healing of diseases, as well as for nutritional reasons. Presently, medicinal mushrooms are primarily used as dietary supplements or functional foods, but they have the potential to become legitimate drugs in traditional and/or evidence-based medicine.

Mushrooms have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, with the ability to suppress the production of inflammatory mediators. For example, the ethanolic extract of the fruiting bodies of the edible truffle Elaphomyces granulatus contains two active aromatic compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, namely syringaldehyde and syringic acid. These compounds inhibited the mediator cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme in mouse macrophage (RAW 264.7). Grifolin and neogrifolins isolated from Albatrellus mushrooms have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.

Additionally, glucans from Pleurotus pulmonarius have been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. In an in vitro study, these glucans inhibited TNF-α-dependent activation of NF-κB in human intestinal cells. Furthermore, β-glucans from P. pulmonarius exhibited an anti-inflammatory response in a model of acute colitis in rats, and when those from P. ostreatus were tested, they inhibited leukocyte migration to acetic acid-injured tissues.

Mushrooms have also been shown to have beneficial effects in experimental cancer. For example, Amauroderma rugosum, used by indigenous communities in Malaysia, has promising anti-inflammatory properties. Overall, mushrooms are a potential source of new medications due to their medicinal properties and their ability to modulate the immune system.

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