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An Updated Review of Bioactive Peptides from Mushrooms in a Well-Defined Molecular Weight Range

Summary

This research examines small protein fragments called peptides that are found in mushrooms and have potential medical benefits. These natural compounds could lead to new treatments for various health conditions. Impacts on everyday life: – Development of new natural blood pressure medications from mushroom peptides – Creation of safer antimicrobial treatments derived from mushrooms – Discovery of new natural antioxidants for food preservation – Potential new cancer treatments from mushroom compounds – Improved understanding of how to harness mushrooms’ therapeutic properties for human health

Background

Mushrooms are important natural sources of bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties, including antioxidative, antitumor, antiviral, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory agents. Bioactive peptides (BPs) are small protein fragments that can exert physiological effects and are completely absorbed at the intestinal level. They are more stable, less toxic and possess higher tissue affinity compared to larger proteins.

Objective

To review and analyze bioactive peptides isolated from mushrooms over the past 20 years, specifically focusing on peptides with molecular weights up to 10 kDa according to the accepted biochemical definition. The review aims to properly classify fungal peptides and clarify confusion in the literature regarding peptide versus protein classification.

Results

The review identified 20 different bioactive peptides from 15 fungal species. Of these, 45% possessed ACE inhibitory activity, 35% showed antifungal, antiviral and anticancer activities, and others displayed antioxidant or antimicrobial properties. The peptides ranged in size from 301 to 2037.26 Da, with most being pentapeptides and hexapeptides. The majority of source mushrooms were from the Basidiomycota phylum, particularly the Agaricales order.

Conclusion

Mushrooms represent a rich source of bioactive peptides with diverse therapeutic properties. The review highlighted the importance of proper peptide classification based on molecular weight and clarified previous confusion in the literature. The identified peptides show promise for biotechnological and medical applications, particularly as antihypertensive agents and antimicrobials. Further research is warranted to discover novel bioactive peptides from fungal sources.
  • Published in:Toxins,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.3390/toxins14020084
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