Antiplasmodial activities in mushrooms

Abstract

This paper looked at basidiomycetes and their antiplasmodial activities from different studies. The purpose of this short review is to encourage more research on fungi in order to address major and complicated infectious diseases like malaria, especially in Africa. Mushrooms represent a major and largely untapped source of potent pharmaceutical products. Many mushrooms possess multi-functional medicinal properties such that they are deemed medicine for the future. Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. This disease causes enormous medical, economic and emotional impacts in many parts of the world. Pharmacological research confirms indigenous knowledge on medicinal mushrooms due to their antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral properties, besides functional foods. The extracts mushrooms such as Kalaharituber pfeilii, Chlorophyllum molybdites, Ganoderma lucidum, Polyporus umbellatus, Pleurotus ostreatus and other mushrooms possess significant antiplasmodial activity. Overall, evidence shows that mushrooms are of biomedical importance owing to a number of bioactive components found in them, they could therefore be considered as a potential agent for both malaria treatment and control.