A mechanistic and empirical review of antcins, a new class of phytosterols of formosan fungi origin
K.J. Senthil Kumar a, M. Gokila Vani a, Chieh-Yin Chen b, Wen-Wei Hsiao b,Jing Li c, Zhan-xi Lin c, Fang-Hua Chu d, Gow-Chin Yen e,**, Sheng-Yang Wang a,f,*
a Department of Forestry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan
b Experimental Forest, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University,
Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
c National Engineering Research Center of JUNCAO Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry
University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, PR China
d School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
e Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University,
Taichung, 402, Taiwan
f Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
Antcins are unique phytosterols isolated from A. cinnamomea and A. salmomea, which are the endemic fungus of Taiwan. A. cinnamomea has long been highly valued medicinal mushroom in Taiwan and traditionally used as a folk remedy for various human illness. Recent scientific explorations claimed that the pharmacological activities of A. cinnamomea and A. salmomonea are gone beyond their original usage. The therapeutic efficacy of these medicinal mushrooms was attributed to their high content of unique bioactive secondary metabolites, including terpenoids, benzenoids, ubiquinol derivatives, polysaccharides, lignans, nucleic acids, steroids, and maleic/succinic acid derivatives. Antcins is a group of steroids in Antrodia spp. with ergostane skeleton received much attention in Taiwan's academic circle due to their broad-spectrum of biological activities. At present, twelve antcins, i.e. antcin A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, M, and N along with twelve derivatives/epimers (25R/S-antcin A, B, C, H, I and K) and seven analogs (methyl antcinate A, B, G, H, K, L and N) were identified. Several studies have demonstrated that antcins possessed anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-aging, immunomodulation, hepatoprotection, and hypolipedimic activities. The main goal of this review is to define the chemistry, isolation, advances in production, and biological activities of antcins and their derivatives/analogs. Special attention has been given to a detail view of their biological activities in vitro and in vivo and their pharmacological potentials.
Keywords: Antcin; Antrodia cinnamomea; Antrodia salmonea; Methyl antcinate; Zhankuic acid
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfda.2019.09.001.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1021949819300857)