Secondary metabolites from fungi as a source of bioactive compounds for human immunity
A defensive natural compounds cocktail equips our immune system to eliminate pathogens
Secondary metabolites are bioactive chemical compounds that plants and fungi synthesize within their cells for the purpose of defence against all types of pathogenic organisms or toxins. They belong to the group of lower molecular weight compounds, compared to primary metabolites (eg alpha and beta-glucans). The fungi organism doesn’t need them for normal growth and reproduction — they exclusively serve for defence or some other specific purposes such as odours for attracting insects, manipulating them with pheromones and so on. Their synthesis within the fungal kingdom is defined by specific gene clusters and by interaction with the stimuli that activate them.
Why fungi in nature synthesize secondary metabolites and cultivated mushrooms do not
In the laboratory studies of cultivated mycelial cultures of fungi and the number of secondary metabolites they produce, it was noticed that their number is many times smaller compared to the same cultures taken directly from nature. Common conditions and stimuli encountered by cultivated fungi during their growth, such as light and moisture, are not challenging enough for them to activate the process of producing valuable secondary metabolites, which fungi naturally synthesize in real life. The activation occurs only when there is a need for more complex biological processes, ie only in direct interaction with pathogenic organisms. Fungi that are not directly endangered do not synthesize secondary metabolites.
How wild mushrooms produce secondary metabolites
Stimulation of the synthesis of secondary metabolites occurs only when complex polysaccharides from cell walls transfer information or pass part of the pathogen to fungal cells because only then certain gene clusters (groups of genes on the same chromosome) are activated to control this process. The synthesis is performed according to precisely defined patterns, of which only a few are known to us today, while we are acquainted with thousands of finished chemical compounds of secondary metabolites. There are genetically defined base models of compounds produced first from parts of primary metabolites which then, under the influence of specific cellular enzymes corresponding to a particular gene cluster, form into ready-made compounds or hybrids of multiple clusters, precisely aimed to exclude or manipulate a particular pathogen.
A large group of terpenes possess the greatest health value among the hundreds of compounds found in wild mushrooms. Within terpenes, there are triterpenes and sesquiterpenes which stand out as direct anticancer compounds, as confirmed by many studies. Here we should also mention antibiotics, vitamins, phenols, sterols, hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes important for health. One mushroom is literally a pool of all these compounds. Which of them will be present in two genetically identical fungi depends on the experiences that the fungus has accumulated during its survival, as well as on the type of the tree on which it grew. Therefore, these compounds are generally absent in laboratory cultures of cultured mycelium. For these reasons, a mushroom from nature is always the best choice for health purposes.
To make sure that a tincture holds the most potent range of active substances for broad health benefits, we always mix mushrooms from different natural habitats.
Safety of consumption of woody medicinal mushrooms – no substitutes, no poisonous species
Medicinal mushrooms of the woody structure are completely safe for human use and without any possible dangerous substitutions.
Many plants produce toxic secondary metabolites such as caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, oleandrin, atropine, etc., which are toxic to all mammals and whose wrong consumption has led to many unfortunate poisonings with fatal consequences. Due to, for example, the replacement of bear onion with frostbite, careless pickers had severe health consequences. Many fungi growing on soil produce poisonous metabolites as well. In their life cycle, it does not suit them to be eaten by a mammal, so they have developed deadly toxins as a warning and protection. Fortunately, unlike terrestrial fungi, all fungi with hard woody structures growing on trees for more than 6 months up to several years, do not synthesize toxic compounds. They don’t need them in their life cycle — their body structure is woody, so they are not potential food for forest animals from which they should defend themselves. Therefore, medicinal mushrooms of the woody structure are completely safe for human use and without any possible dangerous substitutions. Ancient peoples knew this, so they used them until the last known records in the past, and the remains of ground substances for human use were found at archaeological sites.
Health benefits of secondary metabolites from fungi for the human immunity
All medicinal mushrooms contain many common groups of secondary metabolites, and some completely identical chemical compounds have been isolated from several different species of fungi, suggesting similar models of their synthesis. That is one of the main reasons that when the synergic action of several mixed extracts of fungi takes place, the combination has an enhanced effect. Mixing the compounds increases the biosample for some pathogen that our body will recognize and confront. Sometimes it is enough that we get a ready-made enzyme key for the lock of some unknown bacterium that threatens us, in a reasonable amount that we took in with the mushroom extract. Our body can take an imprint of that key and transfer it to our antibodies to start mass-producing the key to destroy the bacteria. Our body can learn and copy the key if it notices that it works good enough. By taking the mushroom extract, we aim not only at ingesting an amount of an active substance beneficial to our health, but also at receiving valuable information — patterns of successful enzyme keys to assist our immunity learning processes.