Ergothioneine is a natural antioxidant known for its potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. It has been applied in various sectors such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Edible fungi, both wild and cultivated, stand as the primary natural sources capable of synthesizing ergothioneine. This paper reviews the research progress in the content, physiological functions, extraction and detection methods, synthetic genes and pathways, mycelium fermentation, and engineering strain construction for ergothioneine production. The aim is to provide a comprehensive reference for advancing the research and industrial development related to ergothioneine in edible fungi.
Ergothioneine/isolation & purification* ; Fungi/genetics* ; Antioxidants/metabolism* ; Fermentation

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dl-3-butylphthalide ( NBP) injection and soft capsules in the treat-ment of acute middle cerebral artery infarction. Methods:Sixty-one patients with acute cerebral infarction in the left middle cerebral artery in 72 hours of onset of ischemic stroke with score of 5-25 according to the national institutes of health stroke scale ( NIHSS) were randomly divided into the observation group (n=31) and the control group (n=30). The control group was treated with the routine treatment, while the observation group was sequentially treated with NBP injection and soft capsules additionally. The treatment course was 90 days. Before the treatment, the NIHSS score was evaluated in both groups to compare the neurologic impairment degree. After the treatment, the daily living skills assessment was performed by Barthel index ( BI) and modified Rankin score ( mRS) , and the ad-verse reactions were recorded. Results:Before the treatment, the NIHSS score in the two groups had no statistical significance ( P>0. 05). After the treatment, the BI in the observation group and the control group was (88. 55 ± 16. 74) and (70. 67 ± 26. 18), and mRS was (1. 87 ± 1. 02) and (2. 53 ± 1. 40), respectively, suggesting the observation group had more favorable outcome than the con-trol group (P≤0. 05). The incidence of adverse reactions had no significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: dl-3-Bu-tylphthalide sequential therapy should be regarded as an effective and safe method for acute cerebral infarction, which can improve the daily living skills and 90-day outcome of patients.