Mushrooms in Cosmetics
By The Cosmetic Chemist Staff
November 15, 2016
In 1991, two German tourists found a frozen corpse in the European Alps (Austrian-Italian border) of an approximately 45-year old man (named Ötzi, or Ice Man)(1) from the late Stone Age (approximately 3,300 B.C.). The body was preserved in a glacier, and it is believed that the man died shortly before his body was freeze-dried and transformed into a mummy by the harsh Alpine winds and cold climate. These are the oldest intact human remains that have ever been recovered by modern man. Archeologists found a number of interesting tools and supplies in the Ice Man’s possession consisting of a copper axe, bow and arrows, handmade rope, pieces of leather, and a knife. In addition, the man was found carrying two types of tree fungus (mushrooms) that is thought to have served several functions.
There were two different polypore species of mushrooms that the Iceman was carrying, a tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) and a birch polypore (Piptoporus betulinus)(2). Researchers believe that the tinder fungus found on the Ice Man was in fact used as tinder for building fires(3). Tinder fungus is not edible, but does have some medicinal properties. The Piptoporus betulinus species, on the other hand, is thought to have formed part of the Ice Man’s first aid kit. As indicated by its name, the birch polypore grows almost exclusively on birch trees, and has known medicinal properties in addition to acting as an antibiotic agent. Scientific investigations of the Ice Man demonstrated that he suffered from intestinal worms (Trichuris trichiura eggs were found in his gastrointestinal tract) and it is thought that he medicated himself with the birch polypore due to a toxin that it contains against these species(4).
It is incredible that 5,300 years ago man was aware of the pharmacological properties of mushrooms. Today, in many western civilizations, we are just starting to better understand what our ancestors may have known for some time. Mushrooms have antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antiallergic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic, hypoglycemic, and hepatoprotective properties(5). In the last several years, a lot of attention has been given to the potential of mushrooms in treating the skin(6)(8). Not surprisingly, a great deal of effort has be expended in launching commercial skin care products based on mushroom technology.
Biological Efficacy of Mushrooms in Regulating Key Pathways in Skin
Most of the known activity of mushroom extracts in treating skin is in the realm of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tyrosinase, anti-colleganase, anti-elastase, and anti-hyaluronidase activity.6 In terms of the antioxidant potential of mushrooms, they contain a wide variety of polyphenols and phenolic compounds, including but not limited to flavonoids, saponins, and tannins(7).
It should be noted that while a number of anti-tyrosinase agents have been found in mushrooms, there are also many other biologically active compounds present within their structures. In this short piece, we have simply highlighted compounds with anti-tyrosinase activity since this is one of the important areas in skin care.
Commercial Products Containing Mushroom Species
A number of products have been launched in the commercial marketplace in the last several years. Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) are two of the most popular mushrooms used in skin care products. Other mushrooms found in skin care preparations include chaga (Inonotus obliquus), maitake (Grifola frondosa), antrodia (Antrodia cinnamomea), and Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis).
Concluding Remarks
There is a lot of excitement in the development of new products based on fungi species. Over the last two decades, most of the interest in designing natural products in the cosmetic industry has focused on species from the plant kingdom. However, recent work has demonstrated that ample opportunity exists in the development of novel technologies from the fungi kingdom. To date, most of the studies of mushrooms have provided insights into how they modulate biochemical pathways in skin. Future work should concentrate on determining the clincal efficacy of extracts and.
参考文献
PBS Nova, Iceman Reborn
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K. Spindler, The Man in the Ice, Harmony Books: New York (1995). Translation of the original by K. Spindler, Der Mann im Eis, Springer-Verlag/Wien: New York (1995).
L. Capasso, 5300 years ago, the Ice Man used natural laxatives and antibiotics, Lancet, 352, 1864 (1998).
U. Lindequist, T.H.J. Niedermeyer, and W.-D. Jülich, The pharmacological potential of mushrooms, Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med., 2, 285-299 (2005).
O. Taofiq, A.M. González-Paramás, A. Martins, M. Filomena Barreiro, and I.C.F.R. Ferreira, Mushroom extracts and compounds in cosmetics, cosmeceuticals and neutroceuticals—A review, Ind. Crops Prods., 90, 38-48 (2016).
K.D. Hyde, A.H. Bahkali, and M.A. Moslem, Fungi—an unusual source of cosmetics, Fungal Divers., 43, 1-9 (2010).
Y. Wu, M.-H, Choi, J. Li, H. Yang, and H.-J. Shin, Mushroom cosmetics: the present and future, Cosmetics, 3, 22 (2016).