Bioactive mushroom polysaccharides: The structure, characterization and biological functions

Medicinal mushrooms are conventionally used in the traditional medicine to treat or prevent illnesses. Polysaccharides are an important component in the mushrooms, a major contributor in their biological properties, and have been extensively studied since the past two decades. Medicinal mushrooms contain a class of polysaccharide known as β-glucan that possesses various biological activities. However, there are also other polysaccharides types that have been described to possess therapeutic potentials but they are less popular than the β-glucan. This review summarizes related information correlated to the mushroom polysaccharide structure, isolation and characterization methods, and their roles in biological activities including immunomodulatory, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-microbial properties.