Effects of Dietary Supplementation with In Vitro-Cultivated Arboreal Medicinal Mushrooms on Long-Term Memory and Anxiety-Like Behavior of Male Mice.

Health-promoting effects of medicinal mushrooms have been postulated for centuries in folk medicine in Asia and Europe and are currently being verified by scientific research. Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus, HE) is an arboreal medicinal mushroom that has been shown to improve short-term memory of healthy mice, and to modulate stress-coping strategies of rodents. HE shares bioactive compounds with other arboreal medicinal mushrooms such as the pink oyster mushroom (Pleurotus djamor, PDJ) and agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis, FO), but their effects in vivo have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of dietary supplementation with HE, FO, or PDJ on long-term memory, anxiety-like behavior, and hippocampal gene expression of healthy male mice. CD-1 mice were fed with either control or mushroom-supplemented (2 mg/g of dry chow) diets for 40 days and underwent object novelty recognition and elevated plus maze tests before hippocampi collection. Only HE-supplemented animals displayed long-term memory (one sample t-test against chance level of novelty preference ratio). Supplementation had no effect on anxiety-like behavior, but its effect on the frequency of arm visits of the elevated plus maze apparatus was modulated by the amount of ingested food - an effect that was absent in control animals. We also observed that mice with higher weight gain had lower expression of Gsk3ß and Mtor in their hippocampi. We discuss the relevance of these results for rodent behavioral studies of dietary mushroom supplementation.

Hypsizygus marmoreus as a Source of Indole Compounds and Other Bioactive Substances with Health-Promoting Activities.

Hypsizygus marmoreus is an edible medicinal mushroom species with a high dietary value. In this study, the fruiting bodies of commercial and self-cultivated crops and mycelium from in vitro H. marmoreus cultures (both white and brown varieties) were evaluated. This study aimed to analyze the presence of indole compounds and other biologically active substances and determine the effect that the addition of zinc and magnesium ions to the culture medium has on the content of the tested compounds in mycelial cultures. The content of indole compounds and other organic compounds was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography, the content of bioelements was determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry, the glucan content was determined spectrophotometrically, and the antioxidant activity of extracts was estimated using DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS methods. The results showed that H. marmoreus mycelium from in vitro cultures is a good source of indole compounds, bioelements, glucans, and lovastatin. Mycelia from in vitro cultures showed the most diverse composition of indole compounds (L-tryptophan, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan, tryptamine, 5-methyltryptamine, and melatonin). Additionally, in vitro cultures of H. marmoreus enriched with Zn and Mg salts increased the contents of Na, Ca, Zn, 5-methyltryptamine, melatonin, protocatechuic acid, sterols, and total glucans. Only in the case of the white variety of mycelial enriched cultures, ergothioneine and Mg levels also increased. To summarize, the content of the active compounds differed depending on the H. marmoreus variety and the tested material.

Edible Mushrooms as a Potential Component of Dietary Interventions for Major Depressive Disorder.

Dietary interventions for people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) are an ongoing field of research. In this article, we present a comprehensive background for understanding the possibility of using edible medicinal mushrooms as an adjunctive treatment for MDD. We start with a brief history of MDD, its diagnosis, epidemiology and treatment, and the effects of diet on depression symptoms, followed by a review of neurobiological, behavioral, and clinical studies of medicinal mushrooms. We specifically highlight the results of preclinical and clinical studies on dietary supplementation with three selected mushroom species: Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus), Caterpillar mushroom (Cordyceps militaris), and Lingzhi/Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum). Preliminary small-sample clinical studies suggest that Lion's mane can influence well-being of humans. In the case of Reishi, the results of clinical studies are equivocal, while in the case of Caterpillar Mushroom, such studies are underway. Edible mushrooms contain 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-HTP), which is a direct precursor of serotonin-a neurotransmitter targeted in pharmacotherapy of MDD. Therefore, in light of the well-recognized role of stress as a pathogenic factor of MDD, we also describe the neurobiological mechanisms of the interaction between stress and serotonergic neurotransmission; and summarize the current state of knowledge on dietary supplementation with 5-HTP in MDD.

Fortified Mycelium of Fomitopsis officinalis (Agaricomycetes) as a Source of Biologically Active Substances Effective in the Prevention of Civilization Diseases.

Fomitopsis officinalis is a popular species of therapeutic arboreal mushroom with a documented history of use in traditional European and Asian medicine. It was chosen as a research material not only due to its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunostimulatory properties but also because it is endangered in Poland. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of supplementing inorganic zinc and magnesium salts to the culture medium in which F. officinalis was multiplied in vitro in 10-L bioreactors equipped with an aeration and CO2 removal system. The influence of the addition of zinc and magnesium salts to the culture medium on the quantity of bioelements and organic compounds (indole, phenolic compounds, and L-phenylalanine), as well as their bioavailability to the human body (extraction to artificial digestive juices), was determined. The lowest amount of magnesium and zinc was found in the fruiting bodies of F. officinalis (132.1 and 15.3 mg/100 g dry weight [DW], respectively), whereas the highest amount was found in the mycelium obtained on the medium enriched with sulfate salts (1261 and 182.8 mg/100 g DW, respectively). Enrichment of the medium increased the content of the studied bioelements and organic compounds in the F. officinalis mycelium. The results showed that the applied method allowed obtaining fortified mycelium of the tested species as a natural therapeutic material that can supplement the deficiency of bioelements, phenolic compounds, L-phenylalanine, and indole compounds.

Determining the amount of potentially bioavailable phenolic compounds and bioelements in edible mushroom mycelia of Agaricus bisporus, Cantharellus cibarius, and Lentinula edodes.

Release of bioelements and phenolic compounds from edible mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus, Cantharellus cibarius, and Lentinula edodes) enriched with zinc, selenium, l-phenylalanine, alone and as a mixture was examined using a simulated human gastrointestinal digestion method. Due to the extensive amount of data obtained, in order to interpret them more precisely in the work, the methods of chemometric analysis (Cluster Analysis-CA and Principal Compenent Analysis-PCA) were additionally applied. The results showed mycelium of L. edodes has the best health-promoting properties and addition of mixture to the media increased significantly the synthesis of p-hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acid (267 and 16.3 mg/100 g d.w.). After extraction into artificial digestive juices, 97.4 mg/100 g d.w. p-hydroxybenzoic acid and 15.6 mg/100 g d.w. of protocatechuic acid were released. The greatest amounts of Se and Zn were extracted from enriched A. bisporus mycelium (32.3 and 342 mg/100 g d.w., respectively). This study confirmed that mycelium might prevent nutritional deficiencies in the diet through use of functional foods.

Medicinal potential of mycelium and fruiting bodies of an arboreal mushroom Fomitopsis officinalis in therapy of lifestyle diseases.

Fomitopsis officinalis is a medicinal mushroom used in traditional European eighteenth and nineteenth century folk medicine. Fruiting bodies of F. officinalis were collected from the natural environment of Swietokrzyskie Province with the consent of the General Director for Environmental Protection in Warsaw. Mycelial cultures were obtained from fragments of F. officinalis fruiting bodies. The taxonomic position of the mushroom mycelium was confirmed using the PCR method. The presence of organic compounds was determined by HPLC-DAD analysis. Bioelements were determined by AF-AAS. The biochemical composition of the tested mushroom material was confirmed with the FTIR method. Antioxidant properties were determined using the DPPH method, and the antiproliferative activity was assessed with the use of the MTT test. The presence of indole compounds (L-tryptophan, 6-methyl-D,L-tryptophan, melatonin, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan), phenolic compounds (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, catechin, phenylalanine), and sterols (ergosterol, ergosterol peroxide) as well as trace elements was confirmed in the mycelium and fruiting bodies of F. officinalis. Importantly, a high level of 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan in in vitro mycelium cultures (517.99 mg/100 g d.w) was recorded for the first time. The tested mushroom extracts also showed antioxidant and antiproliferative effects on the A549 lung cancer cell line, the DU145 prostate cancer cell line, and the A375 melanoma cell line.

Fomitopsis officinalis: a Species of Arboreal Mushroom with Promising Biological and Medicinal Properties.

Medicinal mushrooms of the order Polyporales have a long history of use, which is evidenced by the finding of dissected fruiting bodies with Ötzi, who lived over 5000 years ago. Because of its valuable biological properties and its use in 18th and 19th-century pharmacy, Fomitopsis officinalis used to be mass-collected. Moreover, the large demand for larch wood and non-wood materials (resin) caused an excessive exploitation of larch forests, which directly contributed to the disappearance of F. officinalis from its natural environment. The qualities of medicinal preparations obtained from the F. officinalis fruiting bodies are determined by the unique composition of its bioactive compounds, such as: triterpenoids, polysaccharides, organic acids, coumarins and phenolic compounds. It has been proved that both crude extracts and the compounds isolated from F. officinalis have a wide spectrum of therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial effects.

Effects of cognitive judgement bias and acute antidepressant treatment on sensitivity to feedback and cognitive flexibility in the rat version of the probabilistic reversal-learning test.

Depressive disorders are often associated with cognitive biases. In this study, we investigated, in an animal model, whether cognitive judgement bias, measured as a stable and enduring behavioural trait, could modulate the effects of antidepressant drugs on other cognitive processes associated with depression. For this purpose, we identified rats displaying 'pessimistic' and 'optimistic' traits in a series of ambiguous-cue interpretation (ACI) tests. Subsequently, in the preclinical version of the probabilistic reversal-learning (PRL) test, allowing multiple reversals within a test session, we compared the effects of acute administration of 5 different antidepressant (AD) drugs (agomelatine, escitalopram, clomipramine, mirtazapine and venlafaxine) on cognitive flexibility and sensitivity to positive/negative feedback in optimistic and pessimistic animals. We report that, following acute treatment with agomelatine, the proportion of lose-shift behaviours in the PRL test was significantly reduced in pessimistic animals compared to optimists. We also demonstrate that acute treatment with another antidepressant drug, mirtazapine, significantly increased the sensitivity of rats to positive feedback, as indexed by the increased proportion of win-stay behaviour following probabilistic reward. This effect was independent of cognitive bias and was associated with a reduced number of reversals made by the animals. Three other tested drugs had no significant effects on behavioural measures assessed in our study.

Low-grade risk of hypercoagulable state in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes, including type 1 and type 2, is associated with the hypercoagulable state. The aim of this study is to evaluate the concentration of selected hemostatic parameters and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) in diabetic subjects. METHODS: The study was conducted in 62 patients with diabetes. Group I consisted of 27 patients having uncontrolled diabetes with microalbuminuria and Group II included 35 well-controlled diabetic patients. The control group was made up of 25 healthy volunteers. In the citrate plasma, the concentrations of tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) complexes, and D-dimer were assayed. Serum concentrations of VEGF-A, lipid profile, creatinine, and plasma fasting glucose were measured and in the versene plasma the concentration of HbA1c was determined. RESULTS: In the patients with uncontrolled diabetes, higher concentrations of TF, TFPI, and VEGF-A were observed, as compared with the well-controlled diabetics group and the control group. A significantly lower activity of antiplasmin was reported in patients from Group I as compared with the control group. In Group I, using the multivariate regression analysis, the glomerular filtration rate was independently associated with VEGF-A and dependently associated with total cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed higher concentrations of TF and TFPI in the patients with uncontrolled diabetes with microalbuminuria, which is associated with rapid neutralization of the thrombin formation, since TFPI inhibits the complex of TF/VIIa/Ca(2+). The manifestation of the above suggestions is the correct TAT complexes and D-dimer, which indicates a low grade of prothrombotic risk in this group of patients, but a higher risk of vascular complications.