Bioactivities of Lentinus Edodes (Berkeley) Pegler Polysaccharides

Lentinus edodes (L. edodes) is the first cultivated edible mushroom in the world and the second most widely used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) mushroom in global market. Its importance is attributed to both its nutritional value and medical application. Some bioactive compounds of L. edodes including phenolic compounds, ergosterol, selenium, eritadenine, vitamins, as well as calcium and minerals have been isolated and characterized. Recently, polysaccharides extracted from fruiting bodies, mycelia and sclerotia of L. edodes have been shown to have numerous activities including antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemia, etc. The present research study aim is an investigation of chemical structures, biological activity and structure-activity relationship of polysaccharides, other than those reported, extracted from the fruiting bodies of L. edodes.Thus, the analysis and evaluation of L. edodes polysaccharides provides a potential opportunity for the discovery of novel therapeutic agents that exhibit beneficial antitumor and immunomodulatory properties.