Grifola frondosa (Dicks.: Fr.) SF Gray (Maitake mushroom):: Medicinal properties, active compounds, and biotechnological cultivation

Grifola frondosa, also known as Maitake mushroom, is a lignin- and cellulose-degrading basidiomycete with excellent nutritional and medicinal properties. This article presents a state-of-the-art review of G. frondosa active compounds belonging to the group of polysaccharides (1-6-beta-glucans and 1-3-beta-D-glucans), glycoproteins, proteins, and low-molecular-weight compounds. Medicinal effects and modes of action are presented in detail, including anticancer activity, immunostimulation, effects on angiogenesis, reduction of benign prostatic hyperplasia, antibacterial and antiviral effects, effects on lipid metabolism and hypertension, antidiabetic activity, vitality and performance enhancement, antioxidant effects, and beneficial cosmetic effects on skin. Possibilities for cultivation of G. frondosa fruit bodies and mycelium biomass are listed, with emphasis on biotechnological cultivation of mycelia in bioreactors by submerged cultivation in liquid media for the production of intra- and extracellular polysaccharides.