Lentinus edodes or shiitake is an edible mushroom with a desirable taste and excellent nutritional value. It is the second most cultivated mushroom worldwide, native in Eastern Asia and has been used for centuries in the traditional medicine of the countries in the Far East for healing some diseases. In the past few years there is more research on the possible use of its bioactive compounds even in the Western countries. The most common compound is lentinan, a polysaccharide that exerts antitumor activity via activation of the immune response. It is registered as a drug in China and Japan for treating cancer as an addition to chemotherapy. During the research, additional activities of lentinan have been found. This compound has a triple helix structure, which is important for its antitumor activity. Therefore, the proper extraction and purification are of great importance to get the best properties for the application. Besides lentinan, there are other molecules present in shiitake mushrooms, such as KS-2-α-mannan-peptide, eritadenine, lectin, lenthionine and lentin; and various extracts, such as LEM, LEP, EP3, EPS4. These compounds have various effects: antitumor, immunomodulatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, cardiovascular and hypolipidemic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective and antioxidant. The mechanisms of their action after they enter the body are mostly unknown. There is a lot of possibilities for further research and possible clinical use of these compounds.
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