The mushrooms have contributed to the
development of active ingredients of fundamental
importance in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry as
well as of important tools in human and animal health,
nutrition, and functional food. This review considers
studies on the beneficial effects of medicinal mushrooms
on the nutrition and health of humans and farm
animals. An overview of the chemical structure and
composition of mycochemicals is presented in this
review with particular reference to phenolic compounds,
triterpenoids and sterols, fatty acids and
lipids, polysaccharides, proteins, peptides, and lectins.
The nutritional value and chemical composition of
wild and cultivated mushrooms in Italy is also the
subject of this review which also deals with mushrooms
as nutraceuticals and the use of mushrooms in
functional foods. The nutraceutical benefits of UV
irradiation of cultivated species of basidiomycetes to
generate high amounts of vitamin D2 is also highlighted
and the ability of the muhsrooms to inhibit
glycation is analyzed. Finally, attention is paid to
studies on bioactivities of some Italian wild and
cultivated mushrooms with particular reference to
species belonging to the genus Pleurotus. The review
highlights the potential of medicinal mushrooms in the
production of mycochemicals that represent a source
of drugs, nutraceutical, and functional food.
