**2. Mushroom active compounds against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)**

Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVDs) are a category of heart and blood diseases, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other diseases. CVDs are the leading cause of death worldwide. In the past few decades, researchers have shown the use of mushrooms and their bioactive compounds as therapeutic agents for CVDs. In 2010, Guillamon et al. reported the potentially positive effects of mushroom consumption on risk markers for CVDs and identified some potential bioactive compounds responsible for their therapeutic activity. Several studies have shown the influence of mushroom intake on some metabolic markers (total low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL): cholesterol, fasting triacylglycerol, homocysteine, blood pressure) which could potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Relevant nutritional aspects of mushrooms include high fiber content, low-fat content, and low trans isomers of unsaturated fatty acids. Mushrooms also have low sodium concentrations and other significant components, such as eritadenine, phenolic compounds, sterols (such as ergosterol), chitosan, triterpenes, etc., which are considered to be potential agents for some previously healthy properties. The intake of mushrooms has a cholesterol-lowering or hypocholesterolemic effect which has been elucidated by different mechanisms, such as lowering of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), improving lipid metabolism, inhibiting the activity of HMG-CoA reductase and therefore, prevents the development of atherosclerosis (**Figure 3**). Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds found in mushrooms also reduce the risk of atherosclerosis [26]. *Ganoderma lucidum* play a curicral role in mitigating the toxicity of Adriamycin, where, Adriamycin treatment raised the number of marker enzymes found in serum including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). In order to increase lipid peroxidation (LPO), adriamycin significantly decreased antioxidant

*Mushroom; Chemistry, Bioactive Components, and Application DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104182*

#### **Figure 3.**

*Mushroom active compounds against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).*

enzymes in the cardiac tissues, including glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Adriamycin has also been shown to considerably lower glutathione (GSH) levels. This study has shown that *G. Lucidum* extracts have significant antioxidant properties and protect the heart from the free radical-mediated toxicity of adriamycin. *G. Lucidum* extract retrieves free radicals and also increases the levels of glutathione and antioxidant enzymes [33]. Important findings show that the edible mushrooms could be used as possible sources of novel hypocholesterolemia agents. Few studies have identified the levels of sterols, b-glucans, and HMGCoA-red as inhibitors in mushrooms. Ergosterol was the most plentiful sterol recorded in all the samples examined, apart from *G. lucidum*, which had identical levels of ergosterol and ergosta-7,22-dienol. *P. ostreatus, G. lucidum, A. aegerita,* and *L. edodes* mushrooms had high levels of b-glucan content, whereas *A. Blazeii, A. Bisporus*, and *L. procera* had low levels of β-glucan content. Because of the presence of lovastatin, a statin found in mycelia broths and its fruiting bodies, the oyster mushroom (*Pleurotus* spp.) reduces blood cholesterol levels. As a result, a mixture of bioactive supplements improves the nutritional ability of different mushrooms to lower serum cholesterol levels [31]. A study has assessed the effect of different mushroom-like *Lentinus edodes, Auricularia polytricha,* and *Flammulina velutipes* preparations on the levels of cholesterol in the rats which showed that the preparation of dried mushrooms significantly reduced plasma cholesterol levels. Lentinus edodes was more effective, while *Auricularia polytricha* (Jews-ear) and *Flammulina velutipes* were less effective than *L. edodes*, Kohshin. However, ergosterol supplements have caused a marked decrease in hepatic cholesterol levels [34]. A previous study, focusing on the hypolipidemic effects of polysaccharides, isolated from *Pholiota Nameko* (PNPS-1) was conducted on hyperlipidemic Wistar rats. The rats were treated with PNPS-1 at different doses which reduced very-low-density: lipoprotein/lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerol, phospholipids, and increased the atherogenic index and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the serum. PNPS-1 also improved pathological changes in the coronary arteries of hyperlipidemic rats.

These results suggest that PNPS-1 significantly reduces the development of hyperlipidemia and could be used as a potential therapeutic agent for CVD [35]. Antiatherogenic and antiatherosclerotic effects of different mushrooms belonging to the genera: *Armillaria, Agaricus, Boletus, Collybia, Cortinfrius, Coriolus, Flammulina, Hirneola, Lentinus, Ganoderrna, Lyophyllurn, Sarcodon, Pleurotus, Tricholoma,* and *Trenella* were detected in human intima aortic culture. The results showed that anti-atherosclerotic, anti-atherogenic, and hypolipidemic effects of certain species of mushrooms allow us to speculate that these edible fungi are beneficial dietary supplements that might be utilized in prophylactics and to a limited extent, in atherosclerotic medicines. Furthermore, the extraction and purification of the active substance from these mushrooms may result in the development of a strong antiatherosclerotic medicine [36]. Among the *Pleurotus* species, *P. ostreatus* was the best candidate for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis because it has been shown to contain a large number of antiatherosclerotic agents such as ergothionein, lovastatin, and chrysin [37].
