The contribution of fungi to the global economy

Fungi provide ecological and environmental services to humans, as well as health and nutritional benefits, and are vital to numerousindustries. Fermented food and beverage products from fungi are circulating in the market, generating billions of USD.However, the highest potential monetary value of fungi is their role in blue carbon trading because of their ability to sequesterlarge amounts of carbon in the soil. There are no conclusive estimates available on the global monetary value of fungi, primarilybecause there are limited data for extrapolation. This study outlines the contribution of fungi to the global economy and providesa first attempt at quantifying the global monetary value of fungi. Our estimate of USD 54.57 trillion provides a starting point thatcan be analysed and improved, highlighting the significance of fungi and providing an appreciation of their value. This paperidentifies the different economically valuable products and services provided by fungi. By giving a monetary value to all importantfungal products, services, and industrial applications underscores their significance in biodiversity and conservation. Furthermore,if the value of fungi is well established, they will be considered in future policies for effective ecosystem management.

Medicinal mushrooms in supportive cancer therapies:an approach to anti-cancer effects and putative mechanisms of action

Medicinal mushrooms have been valued as natural sources of bioactive compounds since times immemorial and have been recognized as potential immunomodulating and anti-cancer agents.Their consumption has consistently been shown to have beneficial effects on human health.Cancer is a generic term for several types of diseases that can be chronic and are responsible for a large number of deaths worldwide.Although there has been considerable progress in modern cancer therapy research,difficulties in understanding the molecular behavior of various types of cancers and the numerous side effects experienced by patients from treatments means that this whole subject area is still problematic.Thus,biological immunotherapy using natural bioactive compounds as supportive treatments in conventional cancer therapies has become in vogue.Bioactive metabolites isolated from medicinal mushrooms have shown potential successes in cancer treatment as biological immunotherapeutic agents that stimulate the immune system against cancer cells.They also act as an effective source of anti-cancer agents,capable of interfering with cellular signal transduction pathways linked to cancer development and progression.In this review we compile available data on the characteristics of medicinal mushrooms that appear to be particularly effective as biological immunotherapeutic agents.Major consideration is given to biological constituents and the putative mechanisms of action by which bioactive compounds act on the human body.Consideration is also given to the benefits that have been claimed for the use of mushrooms in treating cancer and the future prospects of using medicinal mushrooms as potent supportive candidate bioagents for treatment of cancers is discussed.

Medicinal mushrooms in prevention and control of diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a life-threatening chronic metabolic disease caused by lack of insulin and/or insulin dysfunction,characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood(hyperglycemia).Millions worldwide suffer from diabetes and its complications.Significantly,it has been recognized that type 2 diabetes is an important preventable disease and can be avoided or delayed by lifestyle intervention.Presently,there are many chemical and biochemical hypoglycemic agents(synthetic drugs),that are used in treating diabetes and are effective in controlling hyperglycemia.However,as they may have harmful side-effects and fail to significantly alter the course of diabetic complications,natural anti-diabetic drugs from medicinal plants have attracted a great deal of attention.Medicinal mushrooms have been valued as a traditional source of natural bioactive compounds over many centuries and have been targeted as potential hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic agents.Bioactive metabolites including polysaccharides,proteins,dietary fibres,and many other biomolecules isolated from medicinal mushrooms and their cultured mycelia have been shown to be successful in diabetes treatment as biological antihyperglycemic agents.In this review we discuss the biological nature of diabetes and,in particular,explore some promising mushrooms that have experimental anti-diabetic properties,preventing or reducing the development of diabetes mellitus.The importance of medicinal mushrooms as agents of medical nutrition therapy and how their metabolites can be used as supportive candidates for prevention and control of diabetes is explored.Future prospects for this field of study and the difficulties and constraints that might affect the development of rational drug products from medicinal mushrooms are discussed.

The amazing potential of fungi:50 ways we can exploit fungi industrially

Fungi are an understudied,biotechnologically valuable group of organisms.Due to the immense range of habitats that fungi inhabit,and the consequent need to compete against a diverse array of other fungi,bacteria,and animals,fungi have developed numerous survival mechanisms.The unique attributes of fungi thus herald great promise for their application in biotechnology and industry.Moreover,fungi can be grown with relative ease,making production at scale viable.The search for fungal biodiversity,and the construction of a living fungi collection,both have incredible economic potential in locating organisms with novel industrial uses that will lead to novel products.This manuscript reviews fifty ways in which fungi can potentially be utilized as biotechnology.We provide notes and examples for each potential exploitation and give examples from our own work and the work of other notable researchers.We also provide a flow chart that can be used to convince funding bodies of the importance of fungi for biotechnological research and as potential products.Fungi have provided the world with penicillin,lovastatin,and other globally significant medicines,and they remain an untapped resource with enormous industrial potential.

Bioactive metabolites from macrofungi: ethnopharmacology, biological activities and chemistry

Exploration of natural sources for novel bioactive compounds has been an emerging field of medicine over the past decades,providing drugs or lead compounds of considerable therapeutic potential.This research has provided exciting evidence on the isolation of microbe-derived metabolites having prospective biological activities.Mushrooms have been valued as traditional sources of natural bioactive compounds for many centuries and have been targeted as promising therapeutic agents.Many novel biologically active compounds have been reported as a result of research on medicinal mushrooms.In this review,we compile the information on bioactive structure-elucidated metabolites from macrofungi discovered over the last decade and highlight their unique chemical diversity and potential benefits to novel drug discovery.The main emphasis is on their anti-Alzheimer,antidiabetic,anti-malarial,anti-microbial,anti-oxidant,antitumor,anti-viral and hypocholesterolemic activities which are important medicinal targets in terms of drug discovery today.Moreover,the reader’s attention is brought to focus on mushroom products and food supplements available in the market with claimed biological activities and potential human health benefits.