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The Bioactivity of Tiger Milk Mushroom: Malaysia’s Prized Medicinal Mushroom

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Medicinal Plants and Fungi: Recent Advances in Research and Development

Part of the book series: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World ((MAPW,volume 4))

Abstract

The tiger milk mushroom has long been extolled for its medicinal properties and has been used for the treatment of asthma, cough, fever, cancer, liver-related illnesses, and joint pains and as a tonic. The history of usage for tiger milk mushroom dated back to almost 400 years ago, but there were no records of scientific studies done due to unavailability of sufficient samples. Even when there were samples collected from the wild, the supply and quality were inconsistent. With the advent of cultivation success of one of the most utilized species of tiger milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerotis) in 2009, scientific investigation was done to validate its traditional use and to investigate its safety for consumption and biochemical and biopharmacological properties. Among the properties that have been investigated to date are antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, nutritional, immunomodulatory, and neuritogenesis activities of the Lignosus rhinocerotis. The scientific findings have so far verified some of its traditional applications and revealed interesting data which shows potential for it to be further developed into possible nutraceutical. More scientific investigations are much needed to validate the medicinal properties of tiger milk mushroom across its species and to unveil potential biomolecules that may form a valuable foundation in pharmaceutical and industrial applications.

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Abbreviations

ABTS:

2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)

AGE:

Advanced glycation end

AKT:

Protein kinase B

CAT:

Catalase

CBM:

Carbohydrate-binding module

CWE:

Cold water extract

DPPH:

1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl

ERK:

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases

FIP:

Fungal immunomodulatory protein

FRAP:

Ferric reducing ability of plasma

G-CSF:

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

GM-CSF:

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor

GST:

Glutathione transferase

HMW:

High molecular weight

HWE:

Hot water extract

IL-6:

Interleukin 6

iNOS:

Inducible nitric oxide synthase

NO:

Nitric oxide

LMW:

Low molecular weight

MALDI-MS:

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization coupled with mass spectrometry

LC-MS:

Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

MCHC:

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

MCPs:

Matricellular proteins

MCV:

Mean corpuscular volume

ME:

Methanol extract

MMW:

Medium molecular weight

Mn-SOD:

Manganese-superoxide dismutase

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor-κB

MIP-1α:

Macrophage inflammatory protein- 1α

NOAEL:

No-observed-adverse-effect level

PCV:

Packed cell volume

RBC:

Red blood cell

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SGOT:

Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase

SGPT:

Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor alpha

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Acknowledgments

Work on tiger milk mushroom has been supported by the High Impact Research Grant (UM.C/625/1/HIR/068), University of Malaya, Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FP029/2014A) from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia, and Postgraduate Research Grants (PV054-2011B, PG144-2014B, PV024/2012A) and Special Assistance Grant (BKP) (BKS045-2017) from the University of Malaya.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medicinal Mushroom Research Group, Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Shin-Yee Fung

  2. Ligno Research Foundation, Balakong Jaya, 43300, Selangor, Malaysia

    Chon-Seng Tan

Authors
  1. Shin-Yee Fung
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  2. Chon-Seng Tan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shin-Yee Fung .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

    Dinesh Chandra Agrawal

  2. Department of Applied Chemistry, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

    Hsin-Sheng Tsay

  3. Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

    Lie-Fen Shyur

  4. Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Yang-Chang Wu

  5. Department of Forestry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Sheng-Yang Wang

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Fung, SY., Tan, CS. (2017). The Bioactivity of Tiger Milk Mushroom: Malaysia’s Prized Medicinal Mushroom. In: Agrawal, D., Tsay, HS., Shyur, LF., Wu, YC., Wang, SY. (eds) Medicinal Plants and Fungi: Recent Advances in Research and Development. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, vol 4. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5978-0_5

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