Bioactive Ingredients and Medicinal Values of Grifola frondosa (Maitake)

• Published in: Foods Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 95
• Main Authors: Wu, Jian-Yong, Siu, Ka-Chai, Geng, Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 05.01.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Amino acids; Anticancer properties; Antioxidants; bioactive compounds; Biological activity; Carbohydrates; dietary supplements; Fermentation; Food science; foods; Fruit bodies; fruiting bodies; functional foods; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Fungi; Gaylussacia frondosa; Glucans; Glucose; Glycoproteins; Grifola frondosa; Immunomodulation; immunomodulators; ingredients; Macromolecules; maitake mushroom; mechanism of action; medicinal properties; Microbiota; molecular structures; Mushrooms; mycelium; Organic chemistry; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; polysaccharide; Polysaccharides; Proteins; Review; Saccharides; Sterols; β-Glucan; Japan; functional foods; molecular structures; maitake mushroom; polysaccharide; Grifola frondosa
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods10010095

Grifola frondosa (G. frondosa), generally known as hen-of-the-woods or maitake in Japanese and hui-shu-hua in Chinese, is an edible mushroom with both nutritional and medicinal properties. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive summary of research findings on its bioactive constituents, potential health benefits and major structural characteristics. Since the discovery of the D-fraction more than three decades ago, many other polysaccharides, including β-glucans and heteroglycans, have been extracted from the G. frondosa fruiting body and fungal mycelium, which have shown significant antitumor and immunomodulatory activities. Another class of bioactive macromolecules in G. frondosa is composed of proteins and glycoproteins, which have shown antitumor, immunomodulation, antioxidant and other activities. A number of small organic molecules such as sterols and phenolic compounds have also been isolated from the fungus and have shown various bioactivities. It can be concluded that the G. frondosa mushroom provides a diverse array of bioactive molecules that are potentially valuable for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. More investigation is needed to establish the structure–bioactivity relationship of G. frondosa and to elucidate the mechanisms of action behind its various bioactive and pharmacological effects.