Hericium erinaceus in Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond, How Far from the Shoreline?

Abstract

A growing number of studies is focusing on the pharmacology and feasibility of bioactive compounds as a novel valuable approach to target a variety of human diseases related to neurological degeneration. Among the group of the so-called medicinal mushrooms (MMs), Hericium erinaceus has become one of the most promising candidates. In fact, some of the bioactive compounds extracted from H. erinaceus have been shown to recover, or at least ameliorate, a wide range of pathological brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injury. In a large body of in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies on the central nervous system (CNS), the effects of erinacines have been correlated with a significant increase in the production of neurotrophic factors. Despite the promising outcome of preclinical investigations, only a limited number of clinical trials have been carried out so far in different neurological conditions. In this survey, we summarized the current state of knowledge on H. erinaceus dietary supplementation and its therapeutic potential in clinical settings. The bulk collected evidence underlies the urgent need to carry out further/wider clinical trials to prove the safety and efficacy of H. erinaceus supplementation, offering significant neuroprotective applications in brain pathologies.

Olive mill solid waste induces beneficial mushroom-specialized metabolite diversity: a computational metabolomics study

“…Hericenones are unique specialized metabolites; more than 10 hericenone compounds (A–J) and isohericenone J were isolated from the FB of H. erinaceus . Hericenones C, D and E have been reported to have a stimulatory effect on the synthesis of nerve growth factor 45 , hericenone F to have anti-inflammatory activity 46 , and hericenone J and isohericenone J to have anticancer activities 47 .…”

Acute Effects of Naturally Occurring Guayusa Tea and Nordic Lion’s Mane Extracts on Cognitive Performance

“…Erinacine A has been shown to upregulate NGF levels in parts of the brain responsible for memory formation, arousal, and attention (i.e., hippocampus and locus coeruleus) within a rat model [21]. Also, after oral consumption in a rat model, Tsai et al [34] observed erinacine A was present in the brain one hour after ingestion, suggesting that passive diffusion through the blood-brain barrier was the dominant transport method [17]. Since the fruiting body does not contain quantifiable levels of erinacines, it can be suggested that during metabolism, the hericenone metabolites are converted to erinacines, or they, too, have the ability to impact NGF or a different mechanism of action altogether [12,[32][33][34].…”

“…In contrast to AMT, the nootropic benefits of LM appear to be due to the presence of hericinones and L-ergothioneine [17]. However, it is important to note that much of the literature supporting the nootropic benefits of LM has been carried out in rodent models (i.e., rats and mice).…”

“…The majority of studies on LM thus far have investigated its effects in regard to subjects with cognitive impairments and have shown benefits towards neurodegenerative diseases [17], while only a few have examined cognitive performance in healthy adults [18,19], and none have investigated the acute (i.e., single dose) cognitive effects. Erinacines within LM have demonstrated nootropic effects through the stimulation of nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis, which plays a critical role in the growth, maintenance, and survival of neurons within the central nervous system [20], particularly the basal forebrain cholinergic system.…”

Biologically active secondary metabolites from white-rot fungi

“…These compounds, including terpenoids (erinacines), phenols (hericenone AE), pyrones (erinapyrones AC), sterols (erinarol, hericerins, hericenes), fatty acids, and non-ribosomal peptides, exhibit various therapeutic effects such as anti-tumor, antibacterial, hypoglycemic, and neuroprotective activities. Around 20 of the 25 isolated diterpenoids extracted from H. erinaceus share a characteristic 5-6-7 tricarbocyclic fused core structure ( Kawagishi et al, 1992 ; Kawagishi et al, 1996 ; Lee et al, 2000 ; Li et al, 2001 ; Kenmoku et al, 2002 ; Kawagishi et al, 2006 ; Kobayashi et al, 2014 ; Lu et al, 2014 ; Friedman, 2015 ; Li et al, 2015 ; Wang et al, 2015 ; Brandalise et al, 2023 ).…”