**7. The therapeutic effect of mushrooms**

The hunt for medical compounds derived from fungus has piqued the public's curiosity. Higher basidiomycetes have been shown to contain bioactive compounds with anticancer, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antiatherogenic, antimutagenic, and other health-promoting properties [76]. Mushrooms may reduce the risk of disorders including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, hypertension, stroke, and cancer, as well as work as an antimicrobial, immune system booster, and cholesterol-lowering agent [77]. Mushrooms include other metabolites (terpenoids, acids, sesquiterpenes, polyphenols, lactones, sterols, alkaloids, nucleotide analogs, metal chelating agents, and vitamins), as well as polysaccharides and glycoprotein, particularly –glucans. Additional proteins having bioactivity have also been found, including lectins, lignocellulose-degrading enzymes, protease inhibitors and proteases, hydrophobins, and ribosome-inactivating proteins, which can be used in biotechnological procedures to create new drugs [78]. Biologically active polysaccharides and protein complexes produced from mushrooms have anticancer effects both in animals and humans. Several of these mushroom polymers have been demonstrated to have immunotherapeutic effects by inhibiting and killing tumor cells in the past. Several mushroom polysaccharide components have been clinically studied and are widely and efficiently used to treat cancer and other illnesses in Asia. Certain mushrooms are estimated to generate a total of 126 therapeutic activities [79]. Anticancer polysaccharides generated from mushrooms are either acidic or neutral, have a powerful anticancer effect, and have a wide range of chemical structures. Antitumor activity has been identified in a broad variety of glycans, ranging from homopolymers to extremely complex heteropolymers. Mushroom polysaccharides have anticancer effect through stimulating the immune system of the host body; in other words, mushroom polysaccharides do not directly destroy cancer cells. Several substances help to reduce stress in the organism's systems and may result in a 50% reduction in tumor progression as well as a 50% improvement in tumor-bearing organism survival time [80, 81]. Glucans are the most often detected polysaccharides in mushrooms, accounting for about half of the fungal cell wall. Many edible mushrooms contain glucans, which are responsible for their anticancer, immunomodulatory, anticholesterolemic, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective characteristics. They are also known as effective immune stimulators in humans, and their ability to treat a variety of disorders has been established. These biological reactions are induced when glucans bind to a membrane receptor.

Indole compounds are another class that has been shown to have radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory substance designated in mushrooms [82, 83]. These chemicals have a particularly powerful impact on animal immunological and neurological systems. Indole compounds identified in mushrooms comprise psychoactive compounds such as psilocybin and also non-hallucinogenic compounds

such as 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan, L-tryptophan, serotonin, or tryptamine [82, 83]. Mushrooms have a great capacity to digest elements from the soil, making them a useful source of these compounds. Mushrooms collect bio elements with free radical scavenger and anti-inflammatory properties such as zinc, copper, iron, and selenium [84].
