Antifatigue Functions and Mechanisms of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms

• Published in: BioMed research international Vol. 2017; no. 2017; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Authors: Wu, Jian-Yong, Wang, Zhaomei, Siu, Ka-Chai, Geng, Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2017; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Acids; Agaricales - chemistry; Animal models; Antioxidants; Biocompatibility; Biomedical research; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Dietary fiber; Dietary Fiber - therapeutic use; Drugs; Exercise; Fatigue; Fatigue - drug therapy; Fatigue - pathology; Flavonoids; Food; Food science; Free radicals; Glucose; Health aspects; Human performance; Humans; Immune system; Immunosuppressive agents; Liver; Metabolism; Minerals; Minerals - chemistry; Minerals - therapeutic use; Mushrooms; Natural & organic foods; Nucleosides; Peptides; Pharmacology; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Phosphorylation; Physiology; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; Polysaccharides; Polysaccharides - chemistry; Polysaccharides - therapeutic use; Proteins; Proteins - chemistry; Proteins - therapeutic use; Quality of Life; Respiration; Review; Saccharides; Studies; Triterpenoids; Vitamins; Vitamins - chemistry; Vitamins - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 2314-6133; 2314-6141; 2314-6141
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/9648496

Fatigue is the symptom of tiredness caused by physical and/or psychological stresses. As fatigue is becoming a serious problem in the modern society affecting human health, work efficiency, and quality of life, effective antifatigue remedies other than pharmacological drugs or therapies are highly needed. Mushrooms have been widely used as health foods, because of their various bioactive constituents such as polysaccharides, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. This paper reviews the major findings from previous studies on the antifatigue effects, the active components of mushrooms, and the possible mechanisms. Many studies have demonstrated the antifatigue effects of edible and medicinal mushrooms. These mushrooms probably mitigate human fatigue through effects on the functional systems, including the muscular, cardiovascular, hormone, and immune system. The bioactive constituents that contribute to the antifatigue effects of mushrooms may include polysaccharides, peptides, nucleosides, phenolic compounds, and triterpenoids. Further research is still needed to identify the active ingredients and to investigate their mechanism of action on the antifatigue effects. Since most previous studies have been carried out in animal models, more human trials should be performed to verify the antifatigue function of edible and medicinal mushrooms.