Comparative study between phenolic and polysaccharidic extracts of Suillus collinitus: chemical characterization and growth inhibitory activity in human tumour cell lines.

Mushrooms comprise a vast and yet largely untapped source of powerful new pharmaceutical products. In particular, and most importantly for modern medicine, they represent an important source of compounds with potential antitumor and immunostimulating properties, including low-molecular-weight (LMW, e.g. phenolic compounds) and high-molecular-weight (HMW, e.g polysaccharides) compounds. Furthermore, they may have potential as functional foods and sources of novel molecules. The Northeast of Portugal is one of the European regions with higher mushrooms biodiversity.