Between the Bioactive Extracts of Edible Mushrooms and Pharmacologically Important Nanoparticles: Need for the Investigation of a Synergistic Combination - A Mini Review

Abstract

The pharmacological potential of bioactive compounds extracted from mushrooms has been studied to a reasonable level. In the same vein, the bioactivity of nanoparticles has also been investigated and reported to be of potential pharmacological benefit. No doubt, there is a reasonable amount of claims regarding the vast activity of the mushroom extracts and nanoparticles on the tested cell lines and microorganisms. In this paper, a review of the recent application of bioactive compounds extracted from two edible mushrooms (Coprinus comatus and Lactarius deliciosus), as well as some of the recently reported studies on some nanoparticles of pharmacological potentials, was carried out. In order to check for synergy in the bioactivity of the mushroom extracts when co-administered with nanoparticles, an investigation on the synergistic application of the materials through the encapsulation of the bioactive extracts from the mushroom onto the nanoparticle was proposed. The supposed synergy in the activity of the extract-nanoparticle complex could hold the key to improved activity of nutraceuticals against resistant microorganisms and tumor cells.

Drying of extracts from Coriolus versicolor using the lyophilisation technique and their application in new industrially produced dehydrated soups

“…Many authors report that water extracts show strong antimicrobial activity. It is believed that the presence of carbohydrates (especially glucan), proteins, phenols, terpenes and other compounds, as well as their forms, influence the antimicrobial and antifungal activity of the mushroom (Ishmael et al ., 2017). These components are also called secondary metabolites, and their primary function is to protect the fungus from negative external influences.…”

Mushroom-Derived Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery Systems – Therapeutic Roles and Biological Functions

“…[6] Many methods are being adapted to co-encapsulate multiple therapeutic agents within the same polymeric NP. Drug encapsulation is usually done either in the interior by direct encapsulation of drugs into the hydrophobic polymeric core of the nanoparticle or by attaching an additional function to the NPs, usually on the surface, to create a separate partition for drug loading, and incorporating drugs by covalent conjugation to the polymer molecules during their synthesis [7].…”