Edible Mushrooms and Beta-Glucans: Impact on Human Health.
Chiara CerlettiSimona EspositoLicia IacovielloPublished in: Nutrients (2021)
Mushroom cell walls are rich in β-glucans, long or short-chain polymers of glucose subunits with β-1,3 and β-1,6 linkages, that are responsible for the linear and branching structures, respectively. β-glucans from cereals, at variance, have no 1,6 linkages nor branching structures. Both immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of mushrooms have been described using purified β-glucans or fungi extracts on cellular and experimental models; their potential clinical use has been tested in different conditions, such as recurrent infections of the respiratory tract or complications of major surgery. Another promising application of β-glucans is on cancer, as adjuvant of conventional chemotherapy. β-glucans may protect the cardiovascular system, ameliorating glucose, lipid metabolism, and blood pressure: these activities, observed for oat and barley β-glucans, require confirmation in human studies with mushroom β-glucans. On the other hand, mushrooms may also protect the cardiovascular system via a number of other components, such as bioactive phenolic compounds, vitamins, and mineral elements. The growing knowledge on the mechanism(s) and health benefits of mushrooms is encouraging the development of a potential clinical use of β-glucans, and also to further document their role in preserving health and prevent disease in the context of healthy lifestyles.
Keyphrases
- human health
- healthcare
- blood pressure
- risk assessment
- respiratory tract
- mental health
- anti inflammatory
- high resolution
- early stage
- endothelial cells
- papillary thyroid
- single cell
- risk factors
- heart rate
- locally advanced
- cell therapy
- young adults
- coronary artery disease
- acute coronary syndrome
- social media
- weight loss
- mesenchymal stem cells
- neural network
- pluripotent stem cells