Peptides extracted from edible mushroom: Lentinus squarrosulus induces apoptosis in human lung cancer cells

A review for cancer treatment with mushroom metabolites through targeting mitochondrial signaling pathway: In vitro and in vivo evaluations, clinical studies and future prospects for mycomedicine

Resistance to apoptosis stands as a roadblock to the successful pharmacological execution of anticancer drug effect. A comprehensive insight into apoptotic signaling pathways and an understanding of the mechanisms of apoptosis resistance are crucial to unveil new drug targets. At this juncture, researchers are heading towards natural sources in particular, mushroom as their potential drugs leads to being the reliable source of potent bioactive compounds. Given the continuous increase in cancer cases, the potent anticancer efficacy of mushrooms has inevitably become a fascinating object to researchers due to their higher safety margin and multitarget. This review aimed to collect and summarize all the available scientific data on mushrooms from their extracts to bioactive molecules in order to suggest their anticancer attributes via a mitochondrion -mediated intrinsic signaling mechanism. Compiled data revealed that bioactive components of mushrooms including polysaccharides, sterols and terpenoids as well as extracts prepared using 15 different solvents from 53 species could be effective in the supportive treatment of 20 various cancers. The underlying therapeutic mechanisms of the studied mushrooms are explored in this review through diverse and complementary investigations: in vitro assays, pre-clinical studies and clinical randomized controlled trials. The processes mainly involved were ROS production, mitochondrial membrane dysfunction, and action of caspase 3, caspase 9, XIAP, cIAP, p53, Bax, and Bcl-2. In summary, the study provides facts pertaining to the potential beneficial effect of mushroom extracts and their active compounds against various types of cancer and is shedding light on the underlying targeted signaling pathways.

Current research status of anti-cancer peptides: Mechanism of action, production, and clinical applications

The escalating rate of cancer cases, together with treatment deficiencies and long-term side effects of currently used cancer drugs, has made this disease a global burden of the 21st century. The number of breast and lung cancer patients has sharply increased worldwide in the last few years. Presently, surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy strategies are used to cure cancer, which cause severe side effects, toxicities, and drug resistance. In recent years, anti-cancer peptides have become an eminent therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment due to their high specificity and fewer side effects and toxicity. This review presents an updated overview of different anti-cancer peptides, their mechanisms of action and current production strategies employed for their manufacture. In addition, approved and under clinical trials anti-cancer peptides and their applications have been discussed. This review provides updated information on therapeutic anti-cancer peptides that hold great promise for cancer treatment in the near future.

Therapeutic Peptides for Treatment of Lung Diseases: Infection, Fibrosis, and Cancer

Various lung diseases endanger people's health. Side effects and pharmaceutical resistance complicate the treatment of acute lung injury, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer, necessitating the development of novel treatments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered to serve as a viable alternative to conventional antibiotics. These peptides exhibit a broad antibacterial activity spectrum as well as immunomodulatory properties. Previous studies have shown that therapeutic peptides including AMPs had remarkable impacts on animal and cell models of acute lung injury, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer. The purpose of this paper is to outline the potential curative effects and mechanisms of peptides in the three types of lung diseases mentioned above, which may be used as a therapeutic strategy in the future.

Isolation, Purification, and Antitumor Activity of a Novel Active Protein from Antrodia cinnamomea Liquid Fermentation Mycelia

Antrodia cinnamomea, a rare medicinal fungus endemic to Taiwan, contains numerous active components and displays strong antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects. We isolated and purified a novel A. cinnamomea active protein (termed ACAP) from liquid fermentation mycelia and evaluated its antitumor activity. A homogeneous protein-eluted fraction was obtained by anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography, and ACAP was identified based on the antitumor activity screening of this fraction. An in vitro assay of three tumor cell lines (HeLa, Hep G2, and Hepa 1-6) revealed significant antiproliferative effects of ACAP at low concentrations, with IC50 values of 13.10, 10.70, and 18.69 µg/mL, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis showed that ACAP induced late apoptosis of Hep G2 cells. The apoptosis rate of 50 µg/mL ACAP-treated cells (60%) was significantly (p < 0.01) more than that of the control. A Western blotting assay of apoptotic pathway proteins showed that ACAP significantly upregulated p53 and downregulated caspase-3 expression levels. Our findings indicate that ACAP has strong antitumor activity and the potential for development as a therapeutic agent and/or functional food.

A Review on Edible Fungi-Derived Bioactive Peptides: Preparation, Purification and Bioactivities

Edible fungi bioactive peptides (BAPs) are extracted from fruiting bodies and the mycelium of edible fungus. They have various physiological functions such as antioxidant activity, antihypertensive activity, and antibacterial activity. In this paper, the preparation and purification methods of edible fungus BAPs were reviewed, their common biological activities and structure-activity relationships were analyzed, and their application prospects were discussed.

Anti-cancer peptides: their current trends in the development of peptide-based therapy and anti-tumor drugs

Human cancer remains a cause of high mortality throughout the world. The conventional methods and therapies currently employed for treatment are followed by moderate-to-severe side effects. They have not generated curative results due to the ineffectiveness of treatments. Besides, the associated high costs, technical requirements, and cytotoxicity further characterize their limitations. Due to relatively higher presidencies, bioactive peptides with anti-cancer attributes have recently become treatment choices within the therapeutic arsenal. The peptides act as potential anti-cancer agents explicitly targeting tumor cells while being less toxic to normal cells. The anti-cancer peptides are isolated from various natural sources, exhibit high selectivity and high penetration efficiency, and could be quickly restructured. The therapeutic benefits of compatible anti-cancer peptides have contributed to the significant expansion of cancer treatment; albeit, the mechanisms by which bioactive peptides inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells remain unclear. This review will provide a framework for assessing anti-cancer peptides' structural and functional aspects. It shall provide appropriate information on their mode of action to support and strengthen efforts to improve cancer prevention. The article will mention the therapeutic health benefits of anti-cancer peptides. Their importance in clinical studies is elaborated for reducing cancer incidences and developing sustainable treatment models.

Recent research progress of biologically active peptides

With the rapid development of molecular biology and biochemical technology, great progress has been made in the study of peptides. Peptides are easy to digest and absorb, with lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol, improving immunity, regulating hormones, antibacterial, and antiviral effects. Peptides also have physiological regulation and biological metabolism functions with applications in the fields of feed production and biomedical research. In the future, the research focus of bioactive peptides will focus on their efficient preparation and application. This article introduces a comprehensive review of the types, synthesis, functionalization, and bio-related applications of bioactive peptides. For this aim, we introduced in detail various biopeptides and then presented the production methods of bioactive peptides, such as enzymatic synthesis, microbial fermentation, chemical synthesis, and others. The applications of bioactive peptides for anticancers, immune therapy, antibacterial, and other applications have been introduced and discussed. And discussed the development prospects of biologically active peptides.

St. George’s mushroom, Calocybe gambosa (Fr.) Donk: A promising source of nutrients and biologically active compounds

The composition of biologically active compounds of Calocybe gambosa (Lyophyllaceae) was analysed, and the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities were tested in vitro. C. gambosa was low in energy, fat, and carbohydrates, but rich in proteins and fibres. The total polyphenol content in the extracts was low (23.08 ± 0.67 in aqueous and 24.99 ± 4.25 μg GA mg−1 of extract in methanolic extract). The methanolic extract showed anti-DPPH radical activity with an IC50 of 626.10 ± 25.20 μg mL−1. The sample of C. gambosa is rich in nucleotides and amino acids responsible for its pleasant taste. The nucleoside and 5′-monophosphates contents were 0.97 mg g−1 and 2.32 mg g−1 of dry mushroom, respectively. The contents of essential and non-essential amino acids were 18.41 ± 0.06 and 41.75 ± 0.30 mg g−1 d.w., respectively. The percentages of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were 42.6% and 57.4%, respectively. The most abundant water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins were B1 and E, respectively. Cytotoxic effect of the extracts was examined against different cancer cell lines, and the best cytotoxicity was showed by the peptide extract against colon cancer cell line LS174.

Role of bioactive peptides derived from food proteins in programmed cell death to treat inflammatory diseases and cancer

Bioactive peptides are specific peptide which usually contains 2-20 amino acid residues and actively exerts various functions and biological activities and ultimately affect health. Programmed cell deaths are some styles of cell death discovered in recent years, which is the key to tissue development and balance, eliminating excess, damaged or aging cells. More importantly, programmed cell death is a potential way to treat inflammatory diseases and cancer. In this review, through screening references from 2015 to present, we introduce the effect of bioactive peptides derived from food proteins on inflammatory diseases or cancer through regulating programmed cell deaths, including apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis. And this review also introduces the targets of these bioactive peptides to regulate programmed cell death. The purpose of this review is to help to expand the prospective applications of bioactive peptides in the field of inflammatory disease and cancer to provide some guidance.

Antimicrobial/anticancer peptides: bioactive molecules and therapeutic agents

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been known as host-defense peptides. These cationic and amphipathic peptides are relatively short (∼5-50 L-amino acids) with molecular weight less than 10 kDa. AMPs have various roles including immunomodulatory, angiogenic and antitumor activities. Anticancer peptides (ACPs) are a main subset of AMPs as a novel therapeutic approach against tumor cells. The physicochemical properties of the ACPs influence their cell penetration, stability and efficiency of targeting. Up to now, several databases and web servers for in silico prediction of AMPs/ACPs have been established prior to the lab analysis. The present review focuses on the recent advancement about AMPs/ACPs activities including their in silico prediction by computational tools and their potential applications as therapeutic agents especially in cancer.

Mycomedicine: A Unique Class of Natural Products with Potent Anti-tumour Bioactivities

Mycomedicine is a unique class of natural medicine that has been widely used in Asian countries for thousands of years. Modern mycomedicine consists of fruiting bodies, spores, or other tissues of medicinal fungi, as well as bioactive components extracted from them, including polysaccharides and, triterpenoids, etc. Since the discovery of the famous fungal extract, penicillin, by Alexander Fleming in the late 19th century, researchers have realised the significant antibiotic and other medicinal values of fungal extracts. As medicinal fungi and fungal metabolites can induce apoptosis or autophagy, enhance the immune response, and reduce metastatic potential, several types of mushrooms, such as Ganoderma lucidum and Grifola frondosa, have been extensively investigated, and anti-cancer drugs have been developed from their extracts. Although some studies have highlighted the anti-cancer properties of a single, specific mushroom, only limited reviews have summarised diverse medicinal fungi as mycomedicine. In this review, we not only list the structures and functions of pharmaceutically active components isolated from mycomedicine, but also summarise the mechanisms underlying the potent bioactivities of several representative mushrooms in the Kingdom Fungi against various types of tumour.

Chemosensitizing activity of peptide from Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) on cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human lung cancer cells

The limitations of cisplatin, a standard chemotherapy for lung cancer, have been documented with serious adverse effects and drug resistance. To address the need for novel therapy, this study firstly reveals the potential of peptide from Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) as a chemotherapeutic adjuvant for cisplatin treatment. The purified peptide from L. squarrosulus aqueous extracts was obtained after eluting with 0.4 M NaCl through FPLC equipped with anion exchange column. Preincubation for 24 h with 5 µg/mL of the peptide at prior to treatment with 5 µM cisplatin significantly diminished %cell viability in various human lung cancer cells but not in human dermal papilla and proximal renal cells. Flow cytometry indicated the augmentation of cisplatin-induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells pretreated with peptide from L. squarrosulus. Preculture with the peptide dramatically inhibited colony formation in lung cancer cells derived after cisplatin treatment. Strong suppression on integrin-mediated survival was evidenced with the diminution of integrins (β1, β3, β5, α5, αV) and down-stream signals (p-FAK/FAK, p-Src/Src, p-Akt/Akt) consequence with alteration of p53, Bax, Blc-2 and Mcl-1 in cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells preincubated with peptide from L. squarrosulus. These results support the development of L. squarrosulus peptide as a novel combined chemotherapy with cisplatin for lung cancer treatment.

Purification and characterization of a novel protein with activity against non-small-cell lung cancer in vitro and in vivo from the edible mushroom Boletus edulis

A new anti-tumor protein (designated as Boletus edulis or in short BEAP) was isolated from dried fruit bodies of the edible bolete mushroom Boletus edulis. The purification protocol employed comprised fast ion exchange chromatography on a Hitrap Q column and ion exchange chromatography on a DEAE-52 cellulose column. Superdex G75 gel filtration and SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that BEAP was a protein with a molecular weight of 16.7 KD. The protein exhibited potent anti-cancer activity on A549 cells both in vitro and in vivo. With the use of AO/EB staining, annexin V-FITC/PI, and Western blotting, it was demonstrated in vitro that the cytotoxicity of BEAP was mediated by induction of apoptosis and arrest of A549 cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. BEAP significantly suppressed the growth of A549 solid tumors in vivo. These results prove that BEAP is a new multifunctional protein with anti-tumor and anti-metastasis capabilities.

Functional composition and antioxidant property of crude polysaccharides from the fruiting bodies of Lentinus squarrosulus

Lentinus squarrosulus (Hed Khon Khao) is a source of bioactive polysaccharides. Three L. squarrosulus crude polysaccharides (LSPs) were subjected to cold water (LSP-CP), hot water (LSP-HP), and aqueous alkaline (LSP-AP) extractions, and their functional compositions and radical scavenging activities were compared. Synchrotron radiation FTIR (SR-FTIR) spectra and PCA plot analysis in the bio-regions (4000-400 cm^-1) revealed that functional composition LSPs differ significantly (P < 0.05). All LSPs had lipids, protein, and polysaccharides such as β-glucan. The major monosaccharides in LSP-CP and LSP-HP are d-galactose, d-glucose, and d-mannose at different proportions, while LSP-AP contained mainly d-glucose. Also, fucose and xylose were present in all the LSPs. LSP-CP, LSP-HP and LSP-AP induced maximum 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of 78.93 ± 0.42% at 3 mg/mL, 79.16 ± 1.43% at 3 mg/mL and 65.26 ± 1.74% at 5 mg/mL, whiles on 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), their maximum activities were 98.94 ± 0.16% at 3 mg/mL, 97.42 ± 0.76% at 3 mg/mL and 47.24 ± 0.045% at 5 mg/mL, respectively. The results showed that LSP-CP and LSP-HP are good ABTS scavengers, whiles LSP-AP is poor ABTS scavenger. In overall, LSPs consist of essential functional compositions and could be used as natural antioxidants. This exploitation of fungal fruiting body extracts increased the potential use of L. squarrosulus in food and medicinal industries.

Anticancer peptide: Physicochemical property, functional aspect and trend in clinical application (Review)

Cancer is currently ineffectively treated using therapeutic drugs, and is also able to resist drug action, resulting in increased side effects following drug treatment. A novel therapeutic strategy against cancer cells is the use of anticancer peptides (ACPs). The physicochemical properties, amino acid composition and the addition of chemical groups on the ACP sequence influences their conformation, net charge and orientation of the secondary structure, leading to an effect on targeting specificity and ACP-cell interaction, as well as peptide penetrating capability, stability and efficacy. ACPs have been developed from both naturally occurring and modified peptides by substituting neutral or anionic amino acid residues with cationic amino acid residues, or by adding a chemical group. The modified peptides lead to an increase in the effectiveness of cancer therapy. Due to this effectiveness, ACPs have recently been improved to form drugs and vaccines, which have sequentially been evaluated in various phases of clinical trials. The development of the ACPs remains focused on generating newly modified ACPs for clinical application in order to decrease the incidence of new cancer cases and decrease the mortality rate. The present review could further facilitate the design of ACPs and increase efficacious ACP therapy in the near future.

Anticancer potentiality and mode of action of low-carbohydrate proteins and peptides from mushrooms

Severe side effects of chemotherapy as well as drug resistance highlight the ongoing need to discover novel natural bioactive compounds with anticancer potentiality. Mushroom-derived proteins are among the naturally occurring compounds that have been the subject of a body of research on their potentiality in cancer therapy. The greatest attention in relevant review articles has been paid to well-known mushroom-derived glycoproteins such as lectins and protein-bound polysaccharide complexes such as polysaccharide-K (PSK) or krestin and polysaccharopeptide (PSP), which contain substantial amounts of carbohydrates (50-90%). These complex compounds exert their anticancer activity mainly by binding to cell membranes leading to extrinsic (death receptor) apoptosis or intrinsic (mitochondrial) apoptotic pathways. However, several other research studies have reported pure, well-characterized, proteins or peptides from mushrooms, which are carbohydrate-free or have very low amounts of carbohydrate. These proteins may fall into four categories including fungal immunomodulatory proteins, ubiquitin-like proteins, enzymes, and unclassified proteins. Well-defined chemical structure, elucidated full amino acid or N-terminal sequences, purity, and having some distinct and specific pathways compared to glycoproteins have made these low-carbohydrate proteins attractive for cancer research. The aim of this review was therefore to improve the current understanding of mushroom-derived low-carbohydrate proteins and to consolidate the existing knowledge of the most promising mushroom species from which low-carbohydrate proteins have been derived, characterized, and examined for their anticancer activity. In addition, molecular targets and mechanisms of action of these proteins have been discussed. Key points • Mushroom-derived low-carbohydrate proteins lack or have low carbohydrate. • Low-carbohydrate proteins show potent anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo. • There are specific pathways for low-carbohydrate proteins to inhibit cancer cells.

Colicin N Mediates Apoptosis and Suppresses Integrin-Modulated Survival in Human Lung Cancer Cells

The inherent limitations, including serious side-effects and drug resistance, of current chemotherapies necessitate the search for alternative treatments especially for lung cancer. Herein, the anticancer activity of colicin N, bacteria-produced antibiotic peptide, was investigated in various human lung cancer cells. After 24 h of treatment, colicin N at 5–15 µM selectively caused cytotoxicity detected by MTT assay in human lung cancer H460, H292 and H23 cells with no noticeable cell death in human dermal papilla DPCs cells. Flow cytometry analysis of annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide indicated that colicin N primarily induced apoptosis in human lung cancer cells. The activation of extrinsic apoptosis evidenced with the reduction of c-FLIP and caspase-8, as well as the modulation of intrinsic apoptosis signaling proteins including Bax and Mcl-1 were observed via Western blot analysis in lung cancer cells cultured with colicin N (10–15 µM) for 12 h. Moreover, 5–15 µM of colicin N down-regulated the expression of activated Akt (p-Akt) and its upstream survival molecules, integrin β1 and αV in human lung cancer cells. Taken together, colicin N exhibits selective anticancer activity associated with suppression of integrin-modulated survival which potentiate the development of a novel therapy with high safety profile for treatment of human lung cancer.

In vitro evaluation of anti-epidermoid cancer activity of Acanthus ebracteatus protein hydrolysate and their effects on apoptosis and cellular proteins

Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. is commonly consumed with the aim of curing cancer, inflammatory conditions and skin diseases in traditional Thai medicine. It is known to contain various phytochemicals; however, very little is known about the effects of A. ebracteatus protein hydrolysate on cancer cells, including its molecular mechanisms. The present study therefore investigated the anti-cancer activity of A. ebracteatus protein hydrolysates against epidermoid cancer of the skin cell line A431. Their effects on the apoptosis pathway and expression of proteins involved in the regulation of apoptosis, cell proliferation or cell cycle were also investigated. Crude extract of protein hydrolysate, partially purified peptides and purified peptides extracted from the aerial part of A. ebracteatus were administered to the A431 cells. The cytotoxicity effects were then determined using an MTT assay. As a result, A. ebracteatus protein hydrolysate significantly inhibited A431 cells with half inhibitory concentration equals to 425.9 ng protein/ml. By performing Annexin V assay, the partially purified peptides of A. ebracteatus were demonstrated to enhance the apoptosis pathway. Furthermore, western blot analysis revealed that the partially purified peptides of A. ebracteatus increased protein expression levels of RelA (p65) and Cyclin D1 proteins. However, A. ebracteatus did not increase the expression levels of p53-serine 15 phosphorylation (Ser15P).

Silk fibroin peptide suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human lung cancer cells

Silkworm cocoon was recorded to cure carbuncle in the Compendium of Materia Medica. Previous studies have demonstrated that the supplemental silk protein sericin exhibits anticancer activity. In the present study, we investigated the effects of silk fibroin peptide (SFP) extracted from silkworm cocoons against human lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and its possible anticancer mechanisms. SFP that we prepared had high content of glycine (~ 30%) and showed a molecular weight of ~ 10 kDa. Intragastric administration of SFP (30 g/kg/d) for 14 days did not affect the weights, vital signs, routine blood indices, and blood biochemical parameters in mice. MTT assay showed that SFP dose-dependently inhibited the growth of human lung cancer A549 and H460 cells in vitro with IC₅₀ values of 9.921 and 9.083 mg/mL, respectively. SFP also dose-dependently suppressed the clonogenic activity of the two cell lines. In lung cancer H460 xenograft mice, intraperitoneal injection of SFP (200 or 500 mg/kg/d) for 40 days significantly suppressed the tumor growth, but did not induce significant changes in the body weight. We further examined the effects of SFP on cell cycle and apoptosis in H460 cells using flow cytometry, which revealed that SFP-induced cell cycle arrest at the S phase, and then promoted cell apoptosis. We demonstrated that SFP (20-50 mg/mL) dose-dependently downregulates Bcl-2 protein expression and upregulates Bax protein in H460 cells during cell apoptosis. The results suggest that SFP should be studied further as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of lung cancer.

Near-Infrared Fluorescent Peptides with High Tumor Selectivity: Novel Probes for Image-Guided Surgical Resection of Orthotopic Glioma

The complete excision of glioblastomas with maximal retention of surrounding normal tissues can have a positive effect on the survival status and quality of life of patients. Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) optical imaging of the tumor vasculature offers a noninvasive method for detection of early stage glioblastoma and efficient monitoring of therapeutic responses. The aim of this study was to develop a novel NIRF imaging probe as a visualization tool for image-guided surgical resection of orthotopic glioblastoma. In this study, Cy5.5-RKL, Cy5.5-NKL, and Cy5.5-DKL probes were successfully synthesized, and their properties were investigated in vitro and in vivo. In vivo, Cy5.5-RKL and Cy5.5-NKL were able to detect U87MG xenografts for at least 8 h post injection. The maximum tumor-to-muscle ratios of Cy5.5-RKL and Cy5.5-NKL were 7.65 ± 0.72 and 5.43 ± 0.72, respectively. Of the probes, Cy5.5-RKL displayed the best delineation of the boundaries between orthotopic glioblastomas and normal brain tissue at 8 h p.i. In conclusion, NIRF imaging using Cy5.5-RKL is promising not only for diagnostic purposes but also for use in image-guided surgery for orthotopic glioblastoma or other superficial tumors.

Regulation of cancer cell signaling pathways by mushrooms and their bioactive molecules: Overview of the journey from benchtop to clinical trials

Mushrooms represent a tremendous source of biologically useful and pharmacologically active molecules. Recent breakthroughs in cancer genetics, genomics, proteomics and translational research have helped us to develop a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms which are contributory in cancer development and progression. Different signaling pathways particularly, Wnt, SHH, TGF/SMAD and JAK/STAT have been shown to modulate cancer progression and development. Increasingly it is being realized that genetic/epigenetic mutations and loss of apoptosis also mandate a 'multi-molecular' perspective for the development of therapies to treat cancer. In this review we attempted to provide an overview of the regulation of different signaling pathways by mushrooms and their bioactive compounds. Regulation of Wnt and JAK-STAT pathways by mushrooms is deeply studied but we do not have comprehensive information about regulation of TGF/SMAD, Notch and TRAIL induced signaling pathways because of superficially available data. There are outstanding questions related to modulation of oncogenic and tumor suppressor microRNAs by mushrooms in different cancers. Therefore, detailed mechanistic insights related to targeting of multiple pathways by extracts or bioactive compounds from mushrooms will be helpful in bridging our current knowledge gaps and translation of medicinally precious bioactive molecules to clinically effective therapeutics.