Bioactive terpenoids from mushrooms

Abstract Scientific progress has served humankind beneficially, but the evolution of resistant pathogens and newer diseases remains a problem. Most drugs used in modern treatment have detrimental side effects. Thus, identification of novel bioactive compounds from natural sources has been of prime interest in the past decade in order to meet the growing need for therapeutic drugs. Mushrooms have been known for centuries to be a treasure house of natural bioactive compounds and have been valued as a traditional source of medicine. Mushrooms are producers of terpenoids, a large group of bioactive metabolites that have recently drawn scientific attention as promising therapeutic products with anticancer, antimicrobial, antineurodegenerative, antioxidant, and antiviral properties, among others. Several terpenoids have been reported so far from known species of Basidiomycota. Here, we discuss mushroom-derived terpenoids with an emphasis on their therapeutic potential in order to bring this chapter into focus and provide a thrust for further research.