Cordyceps militaris Inhibited Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme through Molecular Interaction between Cordycepin and ACE C-Domain

Unique Bioactives from Zombie Fungus (Cordyceps) as Promising Multitargeted Neuroprotective Agents

Cordyceps, also known as "zombie fungus", is a non-poisonous mushroom that parasitizes insects for growth and development by manipulating the host system in a way that makes the victim behave like a "zombie". These species produce promising bioactive metabolites, like adenosine, β-glucans, cordycepin, and ergosterol. Cordyceps has been used in traditional medicine due to its immense health benefits, as it boosts stamina, appetite, immunity, longevity, libido, memory, and sleep. Neuronal loss is the typical feature of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) (Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)) and neurotrauma. Both these conditions share common pathophysiological features, like oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and glutamatergic excitotoxicity. Cordyceps bioactives (adenosine, N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine, ergosta-7, 9 (11), 22-trien-3β-ol, active peptides, and polysaccharides) exert potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities and display beneficial effects in the management and/or treatment of neurodegenerative disorders in vitro and in vivo. Although a considerable list of compounds is available from Cordyceps, only a few have been evaluated for their neuroprotective potential and still lack information for clinical trials. In this review, the neuroprotective mechanisms and safety profile of Cordyceps extracts/bioactives have been discussed, which might be helpful in the identification of novel potential therapeutic entities in the future.

Bioactive Peptides from Edible Mushrooms-The Preparation, Mechanisms, Structure-Activity Relationships and Prospects

Mushroom bioactive peptides (MBPs) are bioactive peptides extracted directly or indirectly from edible mushrooms. MBPs are known to have antioxidant, anti-aging, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive properties, and facilitate memory and cognitive improvement, antitumour and anti-diabetes activities, and cholesterol reduction. MBPs exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the MAPK, Keap1-Nrf2-ARE, NF-κB and TNF pathways. In addition, MBPs exert antibacterial, anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory effects by stimulating the proliferation of macrophages. The bioactivities of MBPs are closely related to their molecular weights, charge, amino acid compositions and amino acid sequences. Compared with animal-derived peptides, MBPs are ideal raw materials for healthy and functional products with the advantages of their abundance of resources, safety, low price, and easy-to-achieve large-scale production of valuable nutrients for health maintenance and disease prevention. In this review, the preparation, bioactivities, mechanisms and structure-activity relationships of MBPs were described. The main challenges and prospects of their application in functional products were also discussed. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive perspective of MBPs.