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Higher Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes mushrooms possess various immunological and anticancer properties. They also offer\ud important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiallergic, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, digestive, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, osteoprotective, and hypotensive activities. This minireview summarizes the perspectives, recent advances, and major challenges of medicinal mushrooms with reference to their nutraceutical properties and dietary value, the production of mushroom biomass on various substrates, and the purification, characterization, and pharmaceutical effects of biologically active compounds from medicinal mushrooms

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The influence of environmental parameters on mycelial linear growth of Pleurotus ostreatus, P. eryngii, P. pulmonarius, Agrocybe aegerita, Lentinula edodes, Volvariella volvacea and Auricularia auricula-judae was determined in two different nutrient media in a wide range of temperature, forming the basis for the assessment of their temperature optima. V. volvacea grew faster at 35 degrees C, P. eryngii at 25 degrees C, P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius at 30 degrees C, A. aegerita at 25 or 30 degrees C and A. auricula-judae at 20 or 25 degrees C depending on the nutrient medium used and L. edodes at 20 or 30 degrees C depending on the strain examined. The mycelium extension rates were evaluated on seven mushroom cultivation substrates: wheat straw, cotton gin-trash, peanut shells, poplar sawdust, oak sawdust, corn cobs and olive press-cake. The mycelium extension rates (linear growth and colonization rates) were determined by the 'race-tube' technique, and were found to be the highest on cotton gin-trash, peanut shells and poplar sawdust for Pleurotus spp. and A. aegerita. Wheat straw, peanut shells and particularly cotton gin-trash supported fast growth of V. volvacea, whereas wheat straw was the most suitable substrate for L. edodes and A. auricula-judae. Supplemented oak sawdust and olive press-cake were poor substrates for most species examined, while almost all strains performed adequately on corn cobs.