A review of ergostane and cucurbitane triterpenoids of mushroom origin

Ergostane and cucurbitane triterpenoids are relatively rare in mushroom metabolites, and a total of 55 compounds are reported up to May 2013. Many of them exhibited diverse biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antioxidative activities. The paper reviewed systematically the isolation, structure elucidation and biological activities of ergostane- and cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from mushroom for the first time.