Therapeutic Efficacy of Mushroom in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Mushrooms are used not only for culinary purposes, but also for the treatment of various chronic diseases. It shows vital therapeutic activity in several neurodegenerative disorders such as, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. These diseases are non-communicable as well as age-related. Currently, no drug therapy is available to treat such neurodegenerative disorders; instead, it is best to delay progression of these diseases. Accumulated evidence has suggested that culinary or medicinal mushrooms may play a significant role in the prevention of these disorders, as mentioned earlier, and dementia. Therefore, daily consumption of mushrooms in the diet may improve memory and cognitive functions, including mushrooms such as, Hericium Erinaceus, Ganoderma lucidium, Pleurotus giganteus, Dictyophora indusiata, Sarcodon scabrosus, Antrodia camphorata Termitomyces albuminosus, Paxillus panuoides, Mycoleptodonoides aitchisonii, Lignosus rhinocerotis, and numerous other species. These mushrooms show potent antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and memory-enhancing activities. This chapter deals with the therapeutic activity of mushrooms and their bioactive components for different neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, mushrooms can be considered supportive and promising candidates for treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Culinary mushroom, Neurodegeneration, Neuritogenic, Neuroprotection, Neurotrophic.