*4.1.4 Anticancer activity of mushroom steroids, phenols, and dietary fiber*

Within the group of mushroom steroids, the glycosylated form of ergosterol peroxide obtained from the methanol extract of *Cordyceps sinensis* has been shown to be an inhibitor of the proliferation of cell lines, such as the WM-1341, HL-60, K562, Jurkat, and RPMI-8226 tumor cell lines [22, 93]. Anticancer sterol from *Sarcodon aspratus* shows inhibition of the growth of HT29 cancer cells, but not the WI38 normal human fibroblasts [48]. Studies on the anticancer mechanism have indicated that the sterol can induce expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A, thereby causing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HT29 cells [41, 78, 94]. Phenols can also show anticancer activity as a preventive agent with antioxidant activities that can trigger direct cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of mushroom mycelia depends on various cultivation conditions, especially considering the substrate for cultivation. Synthetic culture media are known to suppress the generation of important secondary metabolites [50]. Consequently, there is the need for the selection of the most suitable cultivation media for obtaining the most active secondary metabolites of fungal mycelia [51]. **Table 3** illustrates mushroom antitumor polysaccharides and polysaccharide-protein complexes that have progressed to clinical trials studies.
