# Edible mushrooms as emerging biofactories for natural therapeutics and oral biopharmaceutical delivery

## TL;DR

Edible mushrooms are being explored as natural factories for producing safe, orally deliverable medicines and vaccines.

## Contribution

This paper highlights edible mushrooms as emerging platforms for biopharmaceutical production using modern genetic techniques.

## Key findings

- Mushrooms contain compounds with anti-aging, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects.
- Genetic modification enables mushrooms to produce recombinant proteins suitable for oral delivery.
- Mushrooms' natural bioencapsulation and safety profile support their use in sustainable biopharmaceuticals.

## Abstract

Mushrooms have long served as both food and medicine, providing polysaccharides, terpenoids, phenolics, and peptides with diverse health benefits. Extensive studies have begun to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying these therapeutic effects, which include anti-aging, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Translational research is progressing from preclinical models to clinical trials, reinforcing the biomedical potential of mushroom-derived compounds. Advances in fungal genetic modification and gene editing have further positioned edible mushrooms as promising platforms for recombinant biopharmaceutical production. Their eukaryotic protein-processing capacity, natural bioencapsulation, and GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status make them well-suited for sustainable and orally deliverable therapeutics. Engineered mushrooms show strong potential as platforms for oral vaccines and recombinant protein production, bridging traditional medicinal use with modern molecular farming.