Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anti-cholinesterase, and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Culinary Mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius

Culinary mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius has been popular in Asian countries. In this study, the anti-oxidant, cholinesterase, and inflammation inhibitory activities of methanol extract (ME) of fruiting bodies of P. pulmonarius were evaluted. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazy free radical scavenging activity of ME at 2.0 mg/mL was comparable to that of butylated hydroxytoluene, the standard reference. The ME exhibited significantly higher hydroxyl radical scavenging activity than butylated hydroxytoluene. ME showed slightly lower but moderate inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase than galantamine, a standard AChE inhibitor. It also exhibited protective effect against cytotoxicity to PC-12 cells induced by glutamate (10~100 µg/mL), inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, and carrageenan-induced paw edema in a rat model. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed the ME of P. pulmonarius contained at least 10 phenolic compounds and some of them were identified by the comparison with known standard phenolics. Taken together, our results demonstrate that fruiting bodies of P. pulmonarius possess antioxidant, anti-cholinesterase, and inflammation inhibitory activities.

Anticancer and Immunopotentiating Activities of Crude Polysaccharides from Pleurotus nebrodensis on Mouse Sarcoma 180

Pleurotus nebrodensis is an edible and commercially available mushroom in Korea. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the anticancer and immunopotentiating activities of crude polysaccharides, extracted in methanol, neutral saline, and hot water (hereafter referred to as Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW, respectively) from the fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis. beta-Glucan and protein contents in Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW extracts of P. nebrodensis ranged from 23.79~36.63 g/100 g and 4.45~6.12 g/100 g, respectively. Crude polysaccharides were not cytotoxic against sarcoma 180, HT-29, NIH3T3, and RAW 264.7 cell lines at a range of 10~2,000 microg/mL. Intraperitoneal injection with crude polysaccharides resulted in a life prolongation effect of 11.76~27.06% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma 180. Treatment with Fr. NaCl resulted in an increase in the numbers of spleen cells by 1.49 fold at the concentration of 50 microg/mL, compared with control. Fr. HW improved the immuno-potentiating activity of B lymphocytes through an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.65 fold, compared with control at 200 microg/mL. Maximum production of nitric oxide (14.3 microM) was recorded in the Fr. NaCl fraction at 200 microg/mL. Production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly higher, compared to control, and IL-6 production was highest, in contrast to TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and positive control, concanavalin at the tested concentration of the various fractions. Results of the current study suggest that polysaccharides extracted from P. nebrodensis have a strong anticancer effect and may be useful as an ingredient of biopharmaceutical products for treatment of cancer.

Immunomodulating and Antitumor Activities of Panellus serotinus Polysaccharides

This study was initiated in order to investigate the anticancer and immunomodulating activities of crude polysaccharides extracted in methanol, neutral saline, and hot water (hereinafter referred to as Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW, respectively) from the fruiting bodies of Panellus serotinus. Content of beta-glucan and protein in Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW extracts of P. serotinus ranged from 22.92~28.52 g/100 g and 3.24~3.68 g/100 g, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity tests, none of the various fractions of crude polysaccharides were cytotoxic against sarcoma 180, HT-29, NIH3T3, and RAW 264.7 cell lines at the tested concentration. Intraperitoneal injection with crude polysaccharides resulted in a life prolongation effect of 23.53~44.71% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma 180. Treatment with Fr. HW resulted in an increase in the numbers of spleen cells by 1.3 fold at the concentration of 50 microg/mL compared with control. Treatment with Fr. NaCl resulted in improvement of the immuno-potentiating activity of B lymphocytes by increasing the alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.4 fold, compared with control, at the concentration of 200 microg/mL. Among the three fractions, maximum nitric oxide (13.48 microM) was recorded at 500 microg/mL in Fr. HW. Production of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 was significantly higher, compared to the positive control, concanavalin A, at the tested concentration. Therefore, treatment with crude polysaccharides extracted from the fruiting body of P. serotinus could result in improvement of antitumor activity.

Appraisal of Antihyperlipidemic Activities of Lentinus lepideus in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

The wild edible mushroom, Lentinus lepideus has recently been cultivated for commercial use in Korea. While the mushroom has been widely used for nutritional and medicinal purposes, the possible anti-hyperlipidemic action is unclear. The effects of dietary L. lepideus on plasma and feces biochemical and on the liver histological status were investigated in hypercholesterolemic rats. Six-wk-old female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 10 rats each. Biochemical and histological examinations were performed. A diet containing 5% L. lepideus fruiting bodies reduced plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, total lipid, phospholipids, and the ratio of low-density to high-density lipoprotein. Body weight was reduced. The diet did not adversely affect plasma biochemical and enzyme profiles. L. lepideus reduced significantly plasma beta- and pre-beta-lipoprotein, while alpha-lipoprotein content was increased. A histological study of hepatic cells by conventional hematoxylin-eosin and oil red O staining revealed normal findings for mushroom-fed hypercholesterolemic rats. The present study suggests that a diet supplemented with L. lepideus can provide health benefits by acting on the atherogenic lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats.

Assessment of Antioxidant and Phenolic Compound Concentrations as well as Xanthine Oxidase and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Properties of Different Extracts of Pleurotus citrinopileatus Fruiting Bodies

Cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species has been implicated in several diseases, thus establishing a significant role for antioxidants in maintaining human health. Acetone, methanol, and hot water extracts of Pleurotus citrinopileatus were evaluated for their antioxidant activities against beta-carotene-linoleic acid and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, reducing power, ferrous ion-chelating abilities, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities. In addition, the tyrosinase inhibitory effects and phenolic compound contents of the extracts were also analyzed. Methanol and acetone extracts of P. citrinopileatus showed stronger inhibition of beta-carotene-linoleic acid compared to the hot water extract. Methanol extract (8 mg/mL) showed a significantly high reducing power of 2.92 compared to the other extracts. The hot water extract was more effective than the acetone and methanole extracts for scavenging DPPH radicals. The strongest chelating effect (92.72%) was obtained with 1.0 mg/mL of acetone extract. High performance liquid chromatography analysis detected eight phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, naringenin, hesperetin, formononetin, and biochanin-A, in an acetonitrile and hydrochloric acid (5 : 1) solvent extract. Xanthine oxidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of the acetone, methanol, and hot water extracts increased with increasing concentration. This study suggests that fruiting bodies of P. citrinopileatus can potentially be used as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidants.

Antioxidant Activities and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Effects of Different Extracts from Pleurotus ostreatus Fruiting Bodies

We evaluated the antioxidant activity and tyrosinase inhibitory effects of Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting bodies extracted with acetone, methanol, and hot water. The antioxidant activities were tested against beta-carotene-linoleic acid, reducing power, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, and ferrous chelating ability. Furthermore, phenolic acid and flavonoid contents were also analyzed. The methanol extract showed the strongest beta-carotene-linoleic acid inhibition as compared to the other exracts. The acetone extract (8 mg/mL) showed a significantly high reducing power of 1.54 than the other extracts. The acetone extract was more effective than other extracts for scavenging on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals. The strongest chelating effect (85.66%) was obtained from the acetone extract at 1.0 mg/mL. The antioxidant activities of the extracts from the P. ostreatus fruiting bodies increased with increasing concentration. A high performance liquid chromatography analysis detected seven phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, naringenin, hesperetin, formononetin, and biochanin-A in an acetonitrile and 0.1 N hydrochloric acid (5 : 1) solvent extract. The total phenolic compound concentration was 188 microg/g. Tyrosinase inhibition of the acetone, methanol, and hot water P. ostreatus extracts increased with increasing concentration. The results revealed that the methanol extract had good tyrosinase inhibitory ability, whereas the acetone and hot water extracts showed moderate activity at the concentrations tested. The results suggested that P. ostreatus may have potential as a natural antioxidant.

Vegetative Growth and Phylogenetic Relationship of Commercially Cultivated Strains of Pleurotus eryngii based on ITS sequence and RAPD

Pleurotus eryngii, known as king oyster mushroom has been widely used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. This study was initiated to screen the suitable conditions for mycelial growth and to determine the phylogenetic relationship of the selected strains. Optimal mycelial growth was observed at 30degrees C and minimum mycelial growth observed at 10degrees C. This mushroom tolerates a broad pH range for mycelial growth, with most favorable growth observed at pH 6. Results also indicated that glucose peptone, yeast malt extract and mushroom complete media were favorable growth media, while Hennerberg and Hoppkins media were unfavorable. Dextrin was the best and xylose the least effective carbon sources. Results revealed that inorganic nitrogen sources were less effective than organic sources for the mycelial growth of P. eryngii. Investigation of genetic diversity is necessary to identify the strains. The ITS region of rDNA were amplified using PCR. The size of the ITS1 and ITS2 regions of rDNA from the different strains varied from 214 to 222 bp and 145 to 236 bp, respectively. The sequence of ITS2 was more variable than that of ITS1, and the 5.8S sequences were identical. A phylogenetic tree based on the ITS region sequences indicated that selected strains could be classified into six clusters. Fourteen IUM and ATCC-90212 strains were also analyzed by RAPD with 20 arbitrary primers. Fourteen of these primers were efficiently amplified the genomic DNA. The number of amplified bands varied with the primers and strains, with polymorphic fragments in the range from 0.2 to 2.3 kb.

An Improved Compost Using Cotton Waste and Fermented Sawdust Substrate for Cultivation of Oyster Mushroom

A composting technique was assessed to enhance efficiency in oyster mushroom substrate. Poplar sawdusts and by-product of winter mushroom added by 10% of rice bran were composted outdoors at 20degrees C to 28degrees C for 12 days. The duration of fermentation was shortened 3 days in fermented sawdust plot. The yield obtained from waste cotton substrate with fermented poplar sawdust was 742 g, whereas the yield from control 663 g. In addition, the substrate with by-product of winter mushroom was the most effective to composting. It was useful to apply the fermented sawdust and by-product to waste cotton for compost and sporophore production of oyster mushroom.

Effect of Fermented Sawdust on Pleurotus Spawn

A method of spawn making procedures through the application of fermented sawdust for the purpose of avoiding contamination by undesirable fungi in the course of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelial growth was evaluated. Of three kinds of supplements, rice bran was the most effective to raise temperature up to 70degrees C. Mycelial activity and density was more considerably improved in the case of using fermented sawdust supplemented with rice bran than the case of non-fermented sawdust. Primordia of Pleurotus ostreatus were formed on fermented sawdust. The substrate of fermented sawdust showed potential to prevent the growth of Trichoderma sp. which caused a symptom on mushroom mycelium, whereas there was nothing to inhibit the growth of Trichoderma sp. during 30 days after inoculation in non-fermented sawdust.

Studies on the Effect of Vinyl Mulching on Pleurotus Cultivation: Control of Mushroom Diseases on Pleurotus ostreatus (II)

Perforated vinyl mulching technique was performed on oyster mushroom beds for controlling mushroom diseases. Mycelium under vinyl sheets were safely protected from outside undesirable microorganisms. One of two mushroom farms showed 75% of disease incidence, the other 40% and National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (NIAST) 13% in the conventional growing method, whereas 12%, 14%, and 5% in the vinyl mulching cultivation method. Waterlogging caused mushroom bed worse, and Trichoderma spp. were infested on the conventional mushroom bed. Disease incidence investigated in other case was 25% to 30% in the conventional growing method, whereas 5 to 9% in the vinyl mulching cultivation method. Yields in conventional method were 6.5 to 7.2 kg/m2 and those in vinyl mulching method were 7.6 to 8.1 kg/m2. So it was suggested that vinyl mulching technique was good for prevention from disease and elevation of productivity.

Studies on the Effect of Vinyl Mulching on Pleurotus Cultivation: Bunch Formation on Pleurotus sajor-caju (III)

Perforated vinyl mulching technique was performed on Pleurotus sajor-caju beds to assess fruitbody formation. Individual fruitbody of P. sajor-caju was transformed into bunch type on vinyl mulching bed. It was effective to grow the mushroom without waterlogging and abortion of small pins on the beds as well as hygienical bed management. A bunch showed 79 fruitbodies and 225 g of weight. Available site for fruiting was reduced up to 20% in comparison of 100% for conventional bed. The color of fruitbody turned on brownish white from treated vinyl mulching bed.