Hericium erinaceus is one of the widely used edible and medicinal mushrooms, primarily in Asian countries. It has a high nutritional value, and it also synthesizes a huge number of structurally different secondary metabolites. The purpose of my thesis was to analyze secondary metabolites of the fungus Hericium erinaceus and to evaluate its biotechnological potential. The focuse was on hericanones, erinacins and polysaccharides. Erinacins have proven themselves to be useful for mental disorders; they improve the symptoms of depression by increasing the synthesis of nerve growth factors, they also affect Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. In ischemic stroke models, they found that mycelium enriched with erinacins has the ability to reduce neuronal apoptosis and the extent to which stroke occurs. Hericenon B acts as platelet aggregation inhibitor and thus has a preventive/therapeutic effect on many vascular diseases. Various hericenones have been identified as lipase inhibitors and have shown anti-obesity activity in mouse models. Many studies confirm that hericenones and polysaccharides have an anticarcinogenic effect. The immunoregulatory activity of polysaccharides is also known - they stimulate the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes and the secretion of interleukin-2, interleukin-4 and interferon-γ. They also possess antioxidant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activity, have a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, and prevent fatigue. These metabolites are said to be safe for both pharmaceutical use and dietary supplements with minimal side effects, all that is needed is greater acceptance by Western medicine.
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