Shiitake - Lentinus edodes / Lentinula edodes – Shiitake - Xiang Gu

Shiitake

Lentinus edodes – Xiang Gu

The Mushroom for General Well-being

Interesting components

  • Lentinan – BRM (biological response modifier): immunomodulatory (1), antitumor, antimetastatic (1,2), antimicrobial, and antiviral effects.

  • Eritadenine: cholesterol-lowering (3,4), antithrombotic, antiatherogenic, antiviral (5), and antimicrobial (6) effects.

  • L-Ergothioneine: a powerful antioxidant, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory (7).

  • Ergosterol: promotes bone and cartilage formation (5).

  • Thioprolin: nitrite scavenger, hepatoprotective, and antitumor (5).

  • Leninamycin A and B: antibacterial and antifungal properties (5,8).

  • KS-2 (alcohol extract from mycelium – alpha-mannan peptide (3)): stimulates the body’s production of interferon and macrophages to kill tumor cells (3,9).

  • Polyphenols, tocopherols, and β-carotene: antioxidants (8).

  • Various compounds such as erythritol, copalic acid, adenosine, and carvacrol: antimicrobial (10).

  • Nutritional content: Moisture 78.5%, protein 13-33%, fat 0.94-7.2%, carbohydrates 21.7-47%, polysaccharides 6.35%, fibers 6-38.3%, ash 3.5-6.5%, various vitamins (B1, B2, B3), and minerals (Fe, Ca, Zn, Mg, P) (3,4,9,11).

Areas of action and applications

  • Complementary cancer treatment (5,6,8,12,13) - Lentinan is approved in Japan for gastrointestinal cancer (3).

    • Improves quality of life – in patients undergoing combination therapy (1,14).

    • Reduces chemotherapy-related side effects (1,15) - prevents damage to the immune system when used before chemotherapy in breast cancer patients (3). In an animal study, lentinan significantly reduced cisplatin-induced kidney damage (1).

    • Extends survival time – in patients with liver and stomach cancer, the latter showing the best results when used before chemotherapy (3).

    • Reduces cancer recurrence rate.

    • Improves immune response – restores T-cell activity, induces apoptosis, and cytotoxic mechanisms (4).

    • Clinical studies report a better response to treatment in combination with lentinan in patients with stomach, colon, liver, and esophageal cancer, lung, breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and patients with multiple cancers (1). Bladder cancer patients treated with lentinan alongside regular chemotherapy showed better results in inhibiting cell proliferation (15).

    • Studies with prostate cancer patients show conflicting data – from a treatment without positive effects (3) to an extended survival time in patients with metastatic prostate cancer (8).

    • In-vivo studies show anticancer effects against colon, liver, bronchoalveolar cancer, and melanoma in tumor-bearing animals (16). Chemotherapy combinations with lentinan suppress tumor growth in HER2-positive breast, lung, and stomach cancer in animal models (1,17).

    • In-vitro trials showed lentinan's effectiveness against triple-negative breast, laryngeal, lung, prostate, skin cancer, and leukemic cells (16,18).

  • Immunostimulatory effects

    • Enhancing general immunity and well-being – healthy participants reported positive outcomes, with more help for those in need of boosting their well-being (19,20). The number of B-cells increased (21,22), and fewer cold episodes occurred in the context of the flu vaccine (23).

    • Viral infections

      • HIV – shows antiviral activity in vitro and increases T-cell count in AIDS patients (1,3,5,6,12,13,24).

      • Chronic hepatitis B (1,5,6,12,13) and hepatitis C (24) - shows antiviral activity in vitro and improves liver function in hepatitis B patients, making them seronegative for HBeAg.

      • Poliovirus type 1 – L. edodes completely or partially inhibits virus replication (3,6,24).

      • Herpes simplex virus – completely inhibits the replication of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in lab and animal models (3).

      • Influenza – antiviral activity in vitro and in vivo (3,6,24).

      • Cold, bronchitis (5,8).

  • Bacterial and fungal infections

    • Candida albicans – shows one of the highest anti-candidal effects among various mushroom species (Pleurotus, Ganoderma, Agaricus, Trametes) in vitro and in vivo (3,6,12,13).

    • Antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3,25).

    • Mycobacterium tuberculinum – Lentinan injections and inhalations show improvement in the disease (3).

    • Salmonella lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemia – L. edodes polysaccharides protected mice with induced septic shock from Salmonella (4).

  • Oral health – tooth decay, gingivitis, periodontitis (8,26,27) - L. edodes extract exhibits antimicrobial properties against many bacterial pathogens in the mouth, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, while having little impact on taxa associated with oral health in vitro (4,28). It shows promising anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis, and anti-bacterial effects in human participants (29).

  • Cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome – prevention and therapeutic effects (2,5,6,8,13).

    • Dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia – lowers serum cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in patients with dyslipidemia (3,12,22).

    • Atherosclerosis – positive findings from lab and animal studies.

    • Thrombosis – antithrombotic effects in in-vitro trials.

    • Cardiovascular risk factors – hypertension (3), diabetes mellitus II.

    • Weight reduction (3).

  • Gut health (30)

    • Prebiotic effects in vitro and in vivo (31,32).

    • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – shows improvement in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in vitro and animal models (3,33,34).

  • Osteoporosis (5,6,30) – Syringin and vanillic acid from L. edodes waste and extracts show anti-osteoporotic effects, such as inhibiting osteoclast activity, enhancing osteoblast mineralization, and osteocalcin production in vitro (35,36), and promising effects on bone remodeling in vivo (36).

  • Skin health – Ergosterol (~10% of the content) is used for skin cell regeneration, wound healing, and skin firming (3).

  • Neurodegeneration – improves microcirculation in the brain by dilating blood vessels and preventing loss of elasticity (37).

  • Traditional applications (3)

    • Enhancing stamina and circulation.

    • Arthritis.

    • Diabetes.

    • Hypercholesterolemia.

    • Immune deficiencies.

    • In TCM, for viral infections like hepatitis and HIV (38).

Side Effects

  • Shiitake dermatitis – an allergic skin reaction caused by consuming L. edodes and worsened by sunlight, is common in people working in shiitake-growing areas (9,39). There are also reports of contact dermatitis, asthma, rhinitis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in shiitake farmers (38).

  • Serious side effects are rare; only a few cases of anaphylaxis have been reported after intravenous administration. In clinical trials, fewer than 10% of patients experienced mild forms of dermatitis, nausea, and gastrointestinal discomfort as a side effect of consuming L. edodes (19,22).

  • Chemotherapy combined with lentinan causes side effects in 0.19% of cases – clinical manifestations include allergies, skeletal muscle injury, acute asthma, rash, shock, dizziness, and tremors (1).

References

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  2. Badalyan SM, Barkhudaryan A, Rapior S. Recent Progress in Research on the Pharmacological Potential of Mushrooms and Prospects for Their Clinical Application. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms [Internet]. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2019 [cited 2021 Dec 27]. p. 1–70. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-6382-5_1

  3. Rogers RD. The fungal pharmacy: the complete guide to medicinal mushrooms and lichens of North America. Berkeley, Calif: North Atlantic Books; 2011. 591 p.

  4. Ramesh S, Majrashi M, Almaghrabi M, Govindarajulu M, Fahoury E, Fadan M, et al. Overview of Therapeutic Efficacy of Mushrooms. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms [Internet]. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2019 [cited 2022 Jan 16]. p. 103–41. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-6382-5_3

  5. Guthmann J. Heilende Pilze: die wichtigsten Arten der Welt: Beschreibung - Inhaltsstoffe - Wirkung. 2., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage. Wiebelsheim: Quelle & Meyer Verlag; 2021. 446 p.

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  7. Nachimuthu S, Kandasamy R, Ponnusamy R, Deruiter J, Dhanasekaran M, Thilagar S. L-Ergothioneine: A Potential Bioactive Compound from Edible Mushrooms. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms: Recent Progress in Research and Development [Internet]. Singapore: Springer; 2019 [cited 2022 Jan 18]. p. 391–407. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6382-5_16

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  10. Avinash J, Vinay S, Jha K, Das D, Goutham BS, Kumar G. The Unexplored Anticaries Potential of Shiitake Mushroom. Pharmacognosy Reviews. 2016;10(20):100–4.

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  12. Martin Powell. Medicinal mushrooms [Internet]. Place of publication not identified: Mycology Press; [cited 2021 Dec 27]. Available from: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11571096

  13. Bianchi I, Marrocchesi R. Guarire con i funghi medicinali: proprietà terapeutiche e istruzioni per l’uso dei 12 funghi medicinali più importanti. Treviso: Editoriale Programma; 2015.

  14. Yamaguchi Y, Miyahara E, Hihara J. Efficacy and safety of orally administered Lentinula edodes mycelia extract for patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy: a pilot study. Am J Chin Med. 2011;39(3):451–9.

  15. Richard Bray. Medicinal Mushrooms: A Practical Guide to Healing Mushrooms (Urban Homesteading). Independently published; 2020. 229 p.

  16. Nowakowski P, Markiewicz-Żukowska R, Bielecka J, Mielcarek K, Grabia M, Socha K. Treasures from the forest: Evaluation of mushroom extracts as anti-cancer agents. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Nov;143:112106.

  17. Patel S. Immunomodulatory Aspects of Medicinal Mushrooms. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms: Recent Progress in Research and Development [Internet]. Singapore: Springer; 2019 [cited 2022 Jan 18]. p. 169–85. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6382-5_5

  18. Stajić M, Vukojević J, Ćilerdžić J. Mushrooms as Potential Natural Cytostatics. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms [Internet]. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2019 [cited 2021 Dec 27]. p. 143–68. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-6382-5_4

  19. Dai X, Stanilka JM, Rowe CA, Esteves EA, Nieves C, Spaiser SJ, et al. Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. J Am Coll Nutr. 2015;34(6):478–87.

  20. Aldwinckle J, Kristiansen B. A Quality-of-Life Study in Healthy Adults Supplemented with Lentinex® Beta-Glucan of Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes). Int J Med Mushrooms. 2020;22(5):407–15.

  21. Vlassopoulou M, Yannakoulia M, Pletsa V, Zervakis GI, Kyriacou A. Effects of fungal beta-glucans on health – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Food Funct. 2021 Apr 26;12(8):3366–80.

  22. Gaullier J-M, Sleboda J, Øfjord ES, Ulvestad E, Nurminiemi M, Moe C, et al. Supplementation with a soluble β-glucan exported from Shiitake medicinal mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Berk.) singer mycelium: a crossover, placebo-controlled study in healthy elderly. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2011;13(4):319–26.

  23. Laue C, Stevens Y, van Erp M, Papazova E, Soeth E, Pannenbeckers A, et al. Adjuvant Effect of Orally Applied Preparations Containing Non-Digestible Polysaccharides on Influenza Vaccination in Healthy Seniors: A Double-Blind, Randomised, Controlled Pilot Trial. Nutrients. 2021 Aug;13(8):2683.

  24. Pradeep P, Manju V, Ahsan MF. Antiviral Potency of Mushroom Constituents. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms [Internet]. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2019 [cited 2021 Dec 27]. p. 275–97.

  25. Venturella G, Saporita P, Gargano ML. Current Research on Medicinal Mushrooms in Italy. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms [Internet]. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2019 [cited 2022 Jan 17]. p. 317–33.

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  27. Papetti A, Signoretto C, Spratt DA, Pratten J, Lingström P, Zaura E, et al. Components in Lentinus edodes mushroom with anti-biofilm activity directed against bacteria involved in caries and gingivitis. Food Funct. 2018 Jun 20;9(6):3489–99.

  28. Ciric L, Tymon A, Zaura E, Lingström P, Stauder M, Papetti A, et al. In vitro assessment of shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) extract for its antigingivitis activity. J Biomed Biotechnol. 2011;2011:507908.

  29. Signoretto C, Burlacchini G, Marchi A, Grillenzoni M, Cavalleri G, Ciric L, et al. Testing a Low Molecular Mass Fraction of a Mushroom (Lentinus edodes) Extract Formulated as an Oral Rinse in a Cohort of Volunteers. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology. 2011 Sep 8;2011

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