Cantharellus Research Articles

Characterisation of LC-MS-based low molecular weight compounds and fatty acids of four wild edible mushrooms

The total fatty acids and low molecular weight components were determined from four wild edible mushrooms (Tuber aetivum, Cantharellus cibarius, Boletus edulis, and Tricholoma matsutake). The fatty acids were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the low molecular weight compounds were identified by liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) combined with multivariate statistical analysis. A total of 32 fatty acids were detected. The total fatty acids content was the highest in Tub. aetivum. Linoleic acid was the highest in the four wild edible mushrooms. Besides, a total of 144 and 91 differential with 40 mutual low molecular weight compounds were identified in positive and negative ion modes, respectively, mainly including amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and vitamins. Comprehensive multivariate statistics showed that betaine, choline, and 13 other compounds were differential low molecular weight compounds of the four wild edible mushrooms. These results expand our knowledge of the nutrition and flavour precursors in wild edible mushrooms.

Bacterial Community Analysis and Potential Functions of Core Taxa in Different Parts of the Fungus Cantharellus cibarius.

Cantharellus cibarius is a widely distributed, popular, edible fungus with high nutritional and economic value. However, significant challenges persist in the microbial ecology and artificial cultivation of C. cibarius. Based on the 16S rRNA sequencing data, this study analyzed bacterial community structures and diversity of fruit bodies and rhizomorph parts of C. cibarius and mycosphere samples (collected in the Wudang District, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China). It explored the composition and function of the core bacterial taxa. The analyzed results showed that the rhizomorph bacterial community structure was similar to mycosphere, but differed from the fruit bodies. Members of the Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium complex had the highest abundance in the fruit bodies. However, they were either absent or low in abundance in the rhizomorphs and mycosphere. At the same time, members of the Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia complex were abundant in the fruit bodies and rhizomorphs parts of C. cibarius, as well as mycosphere. Through functional annotation of core bacterial taxa, we found that there was an apparent trend of potential functional differentiation of related bacterial communities in the fruit body and rhizomorph: potential functional groups of core bacterial taxa in the fruit bodies centered on nitrogen fixation, nitrogen metabolism, and degradation of aromatic compounds, while those in rhizomorphs focused on aerobic chemoheterotrophy, chemoheterotrophy, defense against soil pathogens, decomposition of complex organic compounds, and uptake of insoluble inorganic compounds. The analysis of functional groups of bacteria with different structures is of great significance to understand that bacteria promote the growth and development of C. cibarius.

Identification and Differentiation of Wide Edible Mushrooms Based on Lipidomics Profiling Combined with Principal Component Analysis.

Mushroom, as a kind of higher fungus, is a precious homology resource of medicine and foods. In this study, total lipids were extracted from eight wild edible mushrooms and subsequently characterized by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Quadrupole-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry. 20 lipid classes and 173 molecular species were identified and quantified. Lipid molecules and their concentrations in Boletus speciosus, Boletus bainiugan, and Tricholoma matsutake exhibited significantly different behaviors compared with the remaining mushrooms. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that lipid profiles of B. bainiugan were most similar to B. speciosus followed by T. matsutake, Canthar-ellus cibarius, Sarcodon aspratu, Termitomyces eurrhizus, Laccaria laccata, and Thelephora ganbajun. In addition, several differential lipids can be considered as potential biomarkers to distinguish different mushroom species, for instance, lysophosphatidylethanolamine (16:1) and ceramide non-hydroxy fatty acid-dihydrosphingosine (d23:0-10:0). This study provided a new perspective to discriminate the mushroom species from the perspective of lipidomics.

Accumulation of radioisotopes and heavy metals in selected species of mushrooms

Seven species of forest mushrooms from different regions of Poland (edible: Imleria badia, Cantharellus cibarius, Xerocomus subtomentosus, Suillus luteus and inedible by humans but being food for animals: Paxillus involutus, Tylopilus felleus and Russula emetica) were analyzed for radioisotope activity (Cs-137, K-40, Bi-214 and Pb-210) as well as concentrations of heavy metals (aluminum, chromium, cadmium, manganese, iron, lead, zinc, copper, nickel and mercury). The activity of radioisotopes was measured with a gamma spectrometer, while the concentrations of heavy metals were examined by microwave plasma – atomic emission spectrometry. The obtained results of the analyses were compared with the recommendations of the European Food Safety Authority concerning the consumption of the determined heavy metals and the European standards concerning the content of radioisotopes in food. The obtained results proved that the consumption of mushrooms may result in a significant exceeding of the consumption limits of cadmium, copper and Cs-137.

Evidence for Persistent Heteroplasmy and Ancient Recombination in the Mitochondrial Genomes of the Edible Yellow Chanterelles From Southwestern China and Europe.

Mitochondrial genes and genomes have patterns of inheritance that are distinctly different from those of nuclear genes and genomes. In nature, the mitochondrial genomes in eukaryotes are generally considered non-recombining and homoplasmic. If heteroplasmy and recombination exist, they are typically very limited in both space and time. Here we show that mitochondrial heteroplasmy and recombination may not be limited to a specific population nor exit only transiently in the basidiomycete Cantharellus cibarius and related species. These edible yellow chanterelles are an ecologically very important group of fungi and among the most prominent wild edible mushrooms in the Northern Hemisphere. At present, very little is known about the genetics and population biology of these fungia cross large geographical distances. Our study here analyzed a total of 363 specimens of edible yellow chanterelles from 24 geographic locations in Yunnan in southwestern China and six geographic locations in five countries in Europe. For each mushroom sample, we obtained the DNA sequences at two genes, one in the nuclear genome and one in the mitochondrial genome. Our analyses of the nuclear gene, translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef-1) and the DNA barcode of C. cibarius and related species, suggested these samples belong to four known species and five potential new species. Interestingly, analyses of the mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit 6 (atp6) gene fragment revealed evidence of heteroplasmy in two geographic samples in Yunnan and recombination within the two new putative species in Yunnan. Specifically, all four possible haplotypes at two polymorphic nucleotide sites within the mitochondrial atp6 gene were found distributed across several geographic locations in Yunnan. Furthermore, these four haplotypes were broadly distributed across multiple phylogenetic clades constructed based on nuclear tef-1 sequences. Our results suggest that heteroplasmy and mitochondrial recombination might have happened repeatedly during the evolution of the yellow chanterelles. Together, our results suggest that the edible yellow chanterelles represent an excellent system from which to study the evolution of mitochondrial-nuclear genome relationships.

Natural radioactivity and total K content in wild-growing or cultivated edible mushrooms and soils from Galicia (NW, Spain).

The radioactive isotope, 40K, of naturally occurring potassium (0.012%) is present in the Earth's crust in a low percentage of all potassium, leading to its presence in almost all foodstuffs. The impact of 40K activity concentrations was assessed in wild and cultivated edible mushrooms and in growing substrates. Samples were analysed by gamma spectroscopy. In the wild mushroom species, the average activity concentration of 40K was 1291 Bq kg-1 dry weight (dw), approximately 140 Bq kg-1 fresh weight (fw), with a range of average values per species from 748 in Lactarius deliciosus to 1848 Bq kg-1 dw in Tricholoma portentosum. The cultivated species presented an average value of 1086 Bq kg-1 dw; and the soils, compost of cultivation and wood of substrate are 876, 510 and 59.4 Bq kg-1 dw, respectively. The total K content reached a maximum of 59,935 mg kg-1 dw in T. portentosum. The transfer factors (TF > 1) suggested that mushrooms preferentially bioconcentrated 40K. Cantharellus cibarius, Craterellus tubaeformis, Hydnum repandum and T. portentosum by most TF could be considered as bioindicators of 40K. Taking into account that the annual radiation dose of 40K due to the average consumption of mushrooms analysed (0.15 μSv/year) is very low, it can be concluded that the consumption of these mushrooms does not represent a toxicological risk for human health. Finally, according to the total K content, from the nutritional point of view, these mushrooms could be considered as a potential source of potassium for the human diet.

Element concentration, daily intake of elements, and health risk indices of wild mushrooms collected from Belgrad Forest and Ilgaz Mountain National Park (Turkey)

The aim of this study was to determine the element content of wild edible and inedible mushroom species (Agaricus campestris, Armillaria ostoyae, Boletus reticulatus, Bondarzewia mesenterica, Bovistella utriformis, Cantharellus cibarius, Marasmius oreades, Megacollybia platyphylla, Meripilus giganteus, Neoboletus erythropus, Panellus stipticus, Phaeotremella foliacea, Pleurotus ostreatus, Podoscypha multizonata, Russula aurea, R. chloroides, R. virescens, T. versicolor, Trametes gibbose, and Trichaptum biforme) collected from the Belgrad Forests and the Ilgaz Mountain National Park. Based on the results of elemental analyses, daily metal intake (DMI) and health risk index (HRI) values of edible mushrooms collected from both localities were also calculated. As, Cd, Cr, Se, P, Hg, Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn, Al, Ca, Mg, and K contents of mushrooms were in the ranges of 0.16–3.45, 0.09–2.4, 0.15–2.34, 0.3–8.13, 0.28–11.44, 14.03–37.81, 3.87–108.57, 6.18–149.77, 11.9–776.1, 5.4–317.4, 7.4–355.2, 15.4–3517.3, 266.0–2500.0, and 628.0–24083.0 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. As a result of the DMI and HRI analyses, Cu concentration of B. utriformis (DMI: 46.53 μg/kg body weight/serving, HRI: 1.16) and Cd concentrations of A. campestris (DMI: 0.49 μg/kg body weight/serving, HRI: 1.36), A. ostoyae (DMI: 1.03 μg/kg body weight/serving, HRI: 2.86), B. utriformis (DMI: 0.52 μg/kg body weight/serving, HRI: 1.44), and P. ostreatus (DMI: 0.45 μg/kg body weight/serving, HRI: 1.24) were found to exceed the legal limits determined by authorities. It was concluded that the species collected from the regions in question should be consumed in a controlled manner.

Determination of bioactive properties of different edible mushrooms from Turkey

In this study, dry matter, total ash, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacities, antimicrobial activity, and phenolic acid contents of nine different mushrooms (Lactarius deliciosus, Agaricus bisporus, Lentinus edodes, Pleurotus ostreatus, Ganoderma lucidum, Hericium erinaceus, Morchella spp., Boletus edulis, Cantharellus cibarius) from Turkey were determined. Water (W), methanol (M), and water–methanol mixture (W/M, 50:50 v/v) were used to extract phenolic substances from dried mushroom samples. Generally, W extracts showed higher values in total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity values. W extracts of B. edulis (17.11 mg/g), Morchella spp. (14.19 mg/g). Moreover, P. ostreatus (10.85 mg/g) had the highest phenolic contents (p < 0.05). The lowest antioxidant capacity values were found in W/M extracts of C. cibarius (20.22 μmol/g), and L. deliciosus (28.77 μmol/g) and M extract of P. ostreatus (31.61 μmol/g) mushrooms (p < 0.05). W and W/M extracts were more efficient in inhibiting Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus than M extracts. Besides, B. edulis and C. cibarius species were found to have the strongest antimicrobial activity. Besides, B. edulis and P. ostreatus have been found to contain the highest phenolic acid compounds (p < 0.05), supporting the high content of total phenolic contents and antioxidant properties. This study revealed that these mushrooms have the potential to be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

New Insights into the Taxonomy of the Genus Cantharellus in China: Epityfication of C. yunnanensis W.F. Chiu and the First Record of C. cibarius Fr.

Yellow chanterelles are one of the most common edible mushrooms found in Yunnan Province, China. Previous studies identified the species of these mushrooms as Cantharellus cibarius Fr. based on morphology alone. However, the diversity of yellow chanterelles comprises many species within the C. cibarius complex, including C. yunnanensis W.F. Chiu. We hypothesized that the latter species is widely marketed in Yunnan Province and does not actually belong to C. cibarius. Hence, to confirm the species identity, taxonomic re-evaluation using integrated taxonomic approaches is required. Herein, samples collected from different markets and from near the type locality were subjected to morphological and molecular analyses. We generated tef-1α sequences and analyzed them using the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. The study revealed that the specimens previously identified as C. cibarius with a wide distribution in southwestern China are indeed C. yunnanensis. Our morphological assessment was markedly influenced by the revision of the type specimen (C. yunnanensis) and its original description, as some characteristics of the specimen did not match the description (e.g., the size and shape of the spores). Similarly, our single-locus phylogenetic analysis strongly supported the identification of the marketed species in Southwestern China (Guizhou and Yunnan Provinces) as C. yunnanensis instead of C. cibarius. Following our findings, we epitypified C. yunnanensis. Additionally, we collected, identified, and confirmed the presence of C. cibarius in northeastern China.

The level of selected organochlorine compounds residues in popular edible mushrooms from north-eastern Poland

Although DDT, γ-HCH and PCBs have been almost completely withdrawn from world production and use, they are still present in the environment. Mushrooms are eagerly collected and consumed local raw material in north-eastern part of Poland. The aim of the study was to determine the content of DDT, γ-HCH and PCB residues in popular species (Boletus badius, Boletus edulis, Cantharellus cibarius) and to estimate the human exposure of uptaking of these compounds with mushrooms. The content of γ-HCH, DDT and PCB was determined using gas chromatography. The presence of analyzed compounds was observed in all the species under study. The highest content of γ-HCH and ΣDDT was determined in C. cibarius − 7.19 and 180.37 µg/kg of lipids, respectively, whereas the highest amount of ΣPCB was observed in B. edulis − 20.89 µg/kg of lipids. The contents were low and did not pose a threat to human health.

Determining the amount of potentially bioavailable phenolic compounds and bioelements in edible mushroom mycelia of Agaricus bisporus, Cantharellus cibarius, and Lentinula edodes

Release of bioelements and phenolic compounds from edible mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus, Cantharellus cibarius, and Lentinula edodes) enriched with zinc, selenium, l-phenylalanine, alone and as a mixture was examined using a simulated human gastrointestinal digestion method. Due to the extensive amount of data obtained, in order to interpret them more precisely in the work, the methods of chemometric analysis (Cluster Analysis—CA and Principal Compenent Analysis—PCA) were additionally applied. The results showed mycelium of L. edodes has the best health-promoting properties and addition of mixture to the media increased significantly the synthesis of p-hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acid (267 and 16.3 mg/100 g d.w.). After extraction into artificial digestive juices, 97.4 mg/100 g d.w. p-hydroxybenzoic acid and 15.6 mg/100 g d.w. of protocatechuic acid were released. The greatest amounts of Se and Zn were extracted from enriched A. bisporus mycelium (32.3 and 342 mg/100 g d.w., respectively). This study confirmed that mycelium might prevent nutritional deficiencies in the diet through use of functional foods.

Parameters of Cantharellus cibarius Fr. ecological range fragment and resilience to human impact in taiga and sub taiga forest communities

The paper present results of analyses of plant communities with Cantharellus cibarius Fr. in southern taiga and sub-taiga forests within Kirov region. Golden chanterelle occurs mostly in pure pine forests and pine forests mixed with spruce and birch, of green-moss, lichen and cowberry types; in young to maturing stands; crown density low or medium. Species richness of herbaceous-shrub storey in the studied communities varied from 5 to 29. Ecological preferences of C. cibarius habitat fragment, defined with Ellenberg’s (1974) scales, allow to characterise the species as the following: temperate climate species, shade-resistant, rarely found in conditions of total shading; mesophyte regarding soil humidity, prefers acidic soils with low nitrogen, but, as an exception, marked on neutral soils rich in nitrogen. Differences in the species ecological preferences in conditions of southern taiga and sub-taiga are insignificant. Hemeroby index varied from 0.05 to 0.33 for studied communities. Average share of species tolerant to human impact was 13.23%, and the share of anthropo-phobic species – 86.77%. These data characterise C. cibarius as the species capable of tolerating moderate human impact in southern taiga subzone, but being less tolerant to human impact in sub-taiga areas and coniferous-broadleaved forests.

Structural analysis and macrophage activation of anovel β‑glucan isolated from Cantharellus cibarius.

The present study was designed to investigate the structure and immunomodulatory activity of a polysaccharide. A novel acidic β-glucan (WCCP-A-b; molecular weight, 7.3 kDa) was purified from the fruiting bodies of the edible mushroom Cantharellus cibarius, which possesses high nutritional values. WCCP-A-b was composed primarily of glucose (89.7%) and glucuronic acid (8.8%). Methylation and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis suggested that WCCP-A-b contained β-D-1,6-glucan as its main chain, which was substituted at O-3 by β-1,3-D-Glcp oligosaccharides or a single-unit of β-Glcp residues. Minor β-1,4-D-GlcpA residues may also be present in the side chains. The degree of branching was ~20.9%. Moreover, WCCP-A-b possessed a macrophage activating effect by promoting the secretion of nitric oxide, TNF-α and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. At a cellular mechanistic level, WCCP-A-b activated macrophages via the MAPK signaling pathway. The present results provided useful information for supporting further investigations on the structure-activity association of polysaccharides from C. cibarius, and indicated that the novel β-glucan may be a potent natural immunomodulator, thus promoting the application of C. cibarius as a valuable source for functional food.

NEW DATA ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF RED–LISTED FUNGAL SPECIES IN THE MURMANSK REGION

The article provides information about new findings of fungi included in the Red Data Book of the Murmansk Region after the publication of its second edition (2014): Cantharellus cibarius, Clavariadelphus pistillaris, C. truncatus, Clavicorona taxophila, Cortinarius violaceus, Dichomitus squalens, Flaviporus citrinellus, Hericium coralloides, Junghuhnia collabens, Leptoporus mollis, Sidera lenis, Skeletocutis lilacina. It is suggested that the rarity category for Skeletocutis lilacina should be lowered. Craterellus cornucopioides, Haploporus odorus, and Phaeoclavulina roellinii are proposed as candidates for inclusion in the next edition of the regional Red Data Book.

EXTRACTIVE SUBSTANCES OF FRUIT BODY GOLDEN CHANTERELLE (CANTHARELLUS CIBARIUS FR.) AND HEDGEHOG MUSHROOM (HYDNUM REPANDUM FR.)

The purpose of this work was to perform a comparative study of the chemical composition of Cantharellus cibarius Fr. and Hydnum repandum Fr. and the revision of the data in the occurrence of carotenoids, ergocaliferol, tocopherols and phenolic compounds.&#x0D; Substances extracted with 80% ethanol from dried fruit bodies of both fungi were investigated. The fatty acids quantitative and qualitative contents were examined by Gas chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).&#x0D; Lipophilic substances of hexane extract were investigated by chemical reactions and Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) after the separation of compounds from this fraction on a silica gel column.&#x0D; It was determined that the hexane fraction of both mushrooms contained a large amount of higher fatty acids and their esters. Linoleic acid (31.42 %) and oleic acid (57.89 %) were the dominant components in Cantharellus cibarius and Hydnum repandum accordingly.&#x0D; Tocopherols, carotenoids and ergocalciferol were also found in the hexane extracted fraction. The estimated content of tocopherols was ≈0.82% of the total mass of ethanolic extract for chanterelle and ≈0.22% for hedgehog mushroom, respectively.&#x0D; Chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions did not contain tocopherols, carotenoids and ergocalciferol and their mass was insignificant.&#x0D; Carbohydrates content was ≈ 54% and ≈ 49 % of the total mass of ethanolic extract and the content of aminoacids was found as ≈ 4.5% and ≈ 4.7% for Cantharellus cibarius and Hydnum repandum accordingly.&#x0D; Flavonoids, phenolic substances and hydroxycinnamic acids were not found in the fractions of ethanol extracts of both mushrooms.

Investigation on mycelial growth requirements of Cantharellus cibarius under laboratory conditions.

The golden chanterelle represents one of the commonly found, edible mushrooms that is highly valued in various cuisines. The present study focused on assessing the requirements of Cantharellus cibarius such as pH, temperature, as well as the carbon and nitrogen sources for mycelial growth. Optimization of the growth parameters was carried out by one-factor-at-a-time method. The optimal pH and temperature were determined to be 6.0 and 22.5°C, respectively. Among the various carbon sources studied, sucrose at a concentration of 2% gave maximum mycelial growth and proved to be the most suitable one. Amongst the nitrogen sources studied, peptone, ammonium sulphate, and sodium nitrate, gave the maximum mycelial growth at an optimized concentration of 0.5%. In the presence of beef extract and yeast extract, a change in colony pigmentation from yellow to dark grey was observed. Finally, the carbon to nitrogen ratio of 2:0.5 proved to be optimal for mycelial growth. This study is the first report on the optimisation of in vitro growth requirements of C. cibarius.

Highlights on the Golden Mushroom Cantharellus cibarius and unique Shaggy ink cap Mushroom Coprinus comatus and Smoky Bracket Mushroom Bjerkandera adusta Ecology and Biological Activities

Mushrooms are generous source of nutritional and medicinal compounds, and medicinal uses of the mushrooms still need to be worked out for their biological activities. This review aims to put golden mushroom Cantharellus and shaggy ink cap mushroom Coprinus and smoky bracket mushroom Bjerkandera under light spot through describing their morphology and ecology especially of the most common species, Cantharellus cibarius; Coprinus comatus and Bjerkandera adusta. Moreover discussing important secondary metabolites and biological activities exerted by ever one. Cantharellus cibarius; Coprinus comatus and Bjerkandera adusta are able to produce many novel and potent secondary metabolites that exerted different bioactivities especially as antimicrobial, antitumor, anti-inflammation activities and others. Further studies and investigations are fortified in order to find more about these interesting mushrooms.

First Report on the In Vivo Prebiotic, Biochemical, and Histological Effects of Crude Polysaccharide Fraction of Golden Chantharelle Mushroom, Cantharellus cibarius (Agaricomycetes)

In this study, we hypothesize that Cantharellus cibarius polysaccharide (CCP) could contribute to the growth performance, specific growth rate, and bacteriological, biochemical, and histological aspects of the gut in rats. Three groups of seven rats received one of three diets; negative control, treatment, and positive control groups were supplemented with commercial feed, + 0.25% CCP, and + 0.25% inulin, respectively. The highest Lactobacillus and the lowest Clostridium counts (1.84 × 109 and 0.03 × 109 CFU/ml, respectively) were obtained in the colon content of rats fed with CCP. The prebiotic index value of the treatment group (9.39) was higher than that of the positive control, inulin (7.74). There was a slight increase in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein and a slight decrease in high-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels in the treatment group. Histologically, any important increase in mesenteric mast cell counts and degranulation has not been determined. The results indicate that CCP displays a prebiotic effect through the change of the intestinal microbiota. To our knowledge, the prebiotic effect of polysaccharide of C. cibarius fruiting body under in vivo conditions is reported here for the first time.

Elemental Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties of Some Wild Edible Mushrooms from Romania

Five selected wild edible mushrooms from Romania (Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Cantharellus cibarius, Boletus edulis, and Lactarius piperatus) were investigated for their antioxidant potential using an ABTS spectrophotometric assay. Among the selected mushrooms, B. edulis displayed the highest radical scavenging activity and the greatest phenolic content, measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method. The total flavonoids were quantified using the aluminum chloride colorimetric method, with the extract of B. edulis being the richest. L. piperatus and B. edulis mushrooms exhibited the strongest antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. The content of trace elements was determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer, and it was found that K and Mg were the main metals present in all the selected mushroom species. The obtained results suggest that the studied wild edible mushrooms are natural functional matrices, and may have potential to be used as natural antioxidants if they are introduced into the daily diet.

Mushrooms as potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of cancer: Evaluation of anti-glioma effects of Coprinus comatus, Cantharellus cibarius, Lycoperdon perlatum and Lactarius deliciosus extracts

Cancer incidence rates are on the increase worldwide. The most common brain cancer in adults is glioblastoma. Currently available treatment modalities are limited and natural products such as mushrooms could enhance them. Apart from nutritional value, mushrooms are an excellent source of bioactive compounds and therefore could be used to treat various disorders. The aim of the study was to assess the anti-glioma potential of selected mushrooms on U87MG, LN-18 glioblastoma and SVGp12 normal human astroglial cell lines. The materials were Cantharellus cibarius, Coprinus comatus, Lycoperdon perlatum and Lactarius delicious. Aqueous, 70 % ethanol or 95 % ethanol extracts from mushrooms were used for analysis including assessment of antioxidant activity by DPPH assay, cell viability by MTT assay, DNA biosynthesis by thymidine incorporation assay, activity of metalloproteinase by gelatin zymography and cell cycle assay by flow cytometry. Mushroom extracts influenced the viability and DNA biosynthesis of cancer cells. Activity of ethanol mushroom extracts was stronger than that of aqueous extracts. Anti-glioma mechanism consisted in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis associated with arrest of cells in subG1 or G2/M phase of cell cycle, and inhibition of metalloproteinases activity. Among investigated mushrooms, L. deliciosus and C. comatus showed the greatest anti-glioma potential.