Natural products of plant origin: an emerging therapeutic for dermatomycosis.

Dermatomycosis or superficial mycosis is considered one of the chronic fungal infections and a global challenge for the public health system. The severity of dermatomycosis is proportionately increasing with the emerging population of immunocompromised individuals, and it is becoming more prevalent, even life-threatening, in several tropical countries. In this context, improper long-term treatment with synthetic antifungal drugs and their related side effects imposes additional challenges in treating dermatomycosis. Thus, the present scenario highlights the need for a novel and accurate treatment with minimal or no side effects. The multifaceted therapeutic properties of various natural products have garnered the interest of scientific communities in recent years. Generally, plant-based products have low toxicity levels and offer diverse formulations and unique biomolecules for clinical applicability against dermatomycosis. Thus, this study presents an overview of the pathogenesis and different treatment strategies for dermatomycosis. In addition, we highlight the implementation of natural products of plant origin for treating dermatomycosis infections and reducing adverse events. Further, their mode of action and role in the development of pharmaceutical drugs are discussed.

Studies of Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity in Ready-to-Drink Wild Ganoderma Teas: An In Vitro Approach.

Ganoderma is a medicinally important mushroom and has been used since ancient times. However, mostly G. lucidum has been used for therapeutic purposes, in form of tea, dietary and drug supplements but other species of Ganoderma are still remaining underexploited. This study is the first approach to valorize Ganoderma teas prepared from different wild species of Ganoderma other than G. lucidum with respect to both phytochemically and therapeutically through investigation of their phytochemical, carbohydrate contents and exploring their antioxidant activity. Phytochemical contents such as phenol and flavonoids were quantified using spectrophotometry methods. The carbohydrate content of the teas was estimated by phenol sulphuric acid method. The biochemical analysis revealed the teas contained a notable amount of phenolic compounds ranging from 19.15 to 40.2 µg GAE/mg of extract and also showed significant content of flavonoids. Further, antioxidant potential in terms of DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging ability and total antioxidant capacity was also evaluated. According to the results, G. resinaceum tea showed better potential in scavenging DPPH (EC50 36 ug/mL) and ABTS radicals (EC50 3 9 ug/mL) whereas the least effect was shown for the tea of G. ahmedi. Therefore, tea showing the best results, i.e. G. resinaceum tea, was also analyzed for cytotoxicity on breast cancer cells. It was found that the tea made from G. resinaceum inhibited cellular growth and proliferation in a dose-dependent manner with maximum growth inhibition (61%) observed at the highest concentration of 2.3 mg/mL. The presence of a greater quantity of carbohydrates in G. resinaceum tea also justified the remarkable anticancer potential of the tea. Overall, our findings indicated that a few wild species of Ganoderma other than G. lucidum have great potential to be valued as a healthy beverage with immense therapeutic benefits.

Bioactivity Profiling of Infusion, Decoction, and Hydroalcoholic Fraction Obtained from Wild Golden Chanterelle Mushroom, Cantharellus cibarius (Agaricomycetes).

Cantharellus cibarius Fr. is one of the most desirable, popularly known wild edible mushrooms of the genus Cantharellus. Besides having nutritional benefits, this mushroom is reported to harbor significant medicinal potential. In present study, we describe for the first-time bioactive metabolites content and medicinal activities of three different types of extracts including infusion, decoction, and hydroalcoholic fraction from wild Cantharellus cibarius of West Bengal. Bioactive metabolites quantification revealed the phenol and flavonoids present in the range between 0.56-1.46 mg of GAE/g of dried fruit bodies and 0.12-0.29 mg of QE/g of dried fruit bodies, respectively, whereas ascorbic acid contents were also found. Antioxidant activity was assessed using six in vitro systems; decoction displayed better results in all investigated assays with EC50 values ranging between 0.05 and 0.34 mg/ml whereas hydroalcoholic extract showed highest total antioxidant capacity (18 ± 1.61 µg AAE per mg of extract) than other extracts. Moreover, infusion and decoction were found to scavenge highly reactive free radicals like hydroxyl and nitric oxide with their EC50 values ranging between 0.26 and 0.91 mg/ml. Additionally, anti-inflammatory potential of the extracts was evaluated using protein denaturation assay. Hydroalcoholic extract at a concentration range of 0.005-0.1 mg/ml showed comparatively better activity than decoction and infusion, although all the extracts presented dose dependent inhibition of heat induced protein denaturation. Altogether, the present investigation is expected to extend the existing knowledge of this species and recommended its use in pharmaceutical industries as an effective mycomedicine.

Milky mushroom: A healthy nutritious diet.

Milky mushroom includes a group of macrofungi traditionally known for nutritional and medicinal properties. They are among the easiest and cheapest cultivable mushrooms in tropical regions. Thus, interest in this group of mushrooms has grown both commercially and medicinally over the years. This review critically discusses different aspects of milky mushroom based on their nutritive values and biological activities and also envisages the challenges which need holistic approaches to formulate functional compounds from these mushrooms. In the last 30 years, various health-promoting properties, as well as domestication techniques of milky mushrooms, have been documented by scientific forums. Besides, several bioactive compounds have been purified among which only a few have been studied in brief. Some unique activities also have been observed like fibrinolytic activity, synergism with standard antibiotics, antiobesity effects, antiaging, and others; however, the study on its active components and structure-activity relationship is an important requirement. An integrated approach from both the nutritional and medical field needs to be adopted for proper utilization of this mushroom as functional food, thus this review will contribute greatly to fill the lacuna in knowledge and unleashing the significance of these milky mushroom; Calocybe indica, Macrocybe gigantea, Macrocybe crassa and Macrocybe lobayensis in the pharmaceutical field.

Efficient Herbicide Delivery through a Conjugate Gel Formulation for the Mortality of Broad Leaf Weeds.

Carfentrazone-ethyl is embedded in guar gum to prepare a polymer-herbicide conjugate gel formulation for a sustained release of the active ingredient (a.i.). The sprayable gel formulation was optimized at 0.5% (w/v) concentration. Strong interactions of the prepared composition of the polymer-herbicide conjugate system are shown through spectroscopic techniques, depicting the peak broadening of hydrophilic -OH bonds in the herbicide at 1743 cm-1, shifting to 1730 cm-1 in the polymer-herbicide sample. There is a broadening and shifting of the peak at 329 nm for the n → π* transition at 335 nm in the polymer-herbicide conjugate system in UV spectra. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements show a lowering of endothermic melting peaks to 242 and 303 °C in the polymer-herbicide conjugate. X-ray diffraction studies showed a sharp diffraction peak of the pure polymer at a 2θ of ∼20.3°, while broadening and shifting of the peak position to a 2θ of ∼20.8° were observed after adding the herbicide. Diffusion of the active ingredient in the polymer-herbicide conjugate resulted in much greater coverage (most of the weed leaf stomata (>95%)) than conventional spraying. The efficacy of both the polymer-herbicide formulation and herbicide at different doses in weed nurseries showed significantly higher weed mortality in Anagallis arvensis (95.4%), Chenopodium album (∼97%), and Ageratum conyzoides (93.16%) treated with the polymer-herbicide formulation @ 20 g a.i. ha-1. Narrow SPAD readings range of A. arvensis (0.1-30.6) and that of C. album (0-5) were observed in the polymer-herbicide formulation @ 20 g a.i. ha-1 was at par with the conventional formulation @ 30 g a.i. ha-1. Less regeneration in a weed nursery of A. arvensis (27%), C. album (77%), and A. conyzoides (49%) treated with gel formulations @ 20 g a.i. ha-1 was observed, which was significantly lower than those in conventional herbicides.

Mycochemical Profiling and Antioxidant Activity of Two Different Tea Preparations from Lion's Mane Medicinal Mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Agaricomycetes).

Mushrooms have become the new superfood with their many bioactive metabolites and are potential candidates in the field of herbal medicine. Since not all mushrooms can be consumed whole, their active constituents and therapeutic benefits can be had in the form of beverages specially teas or coffees. In the present study, two forms of teas, infusion and decoction, were prepared from Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers., a very popular mushroom in Chinese medicine. Both forms of tea were studied mycochemically and medicinally and a comparative view was presented on the basis of the findings. The tea preparations were rich in bioactive mycochemicals; interestingly, the infusion contained a higher amount of phenol (1.72 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of dry weight of mushrooms) than decoction (0.28 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of dry weight of mushrooms). Lycopene and ß-carotene were found in very minute amounts. Both infusion and decoction exhibited good free radical scavenging potential, reducing power, and total antioxidant properties. However, the infusion fraction produced overall better results than the decoction fraction. Finally, the results suggest that H. erinaceus is a potent source of natural antioxidant and also can be consumed as a beverage.

Prospecting medicinal properties of Lion's mane mushroom.

Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Persoon, a popular medicinal edible mushroom, owns a long history of usage in traditional Chinese medicine and also in other oriental countries. Along with this, its several bioactive compounds have been evolved into food supplements. Meanwhile, this present investigation aimed at extracting bioactive components from fruiting bodies of H. erinaceus using two different solvents and evaluating its in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiproliferative efficacy. Chemical analysis showed extracts were rich in phenol, flavonoids, and ascorbic acids while lesser amount of carotenoids were also detected in these extracts. Both extracts were able to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (~76%) and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) radicals (~81%) and also showed chelating activity (~73.05%). The ethanolic extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (total antioxidant capacity 2.17 µg ascorbic acid equivalent/mg of extract) whereas methanolic extract showed moderate capacity (total antioxidant capacity 1.42 µg ascorbic acid equivalent/mg of extract). All extracts displayed antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well (minimum inhibition concentration 1,575-2,750 µg/ml) although methanolic extract showed some selectivity towards bacterial strains. Apart from these, ethanolic fraction has found to exhibit potent cytotoxicity (IC50 403.12 µg/ml) towards lung adenocarcinoma cells. These studies thus provide the reference data that could support this mushroom as an easily accessible source of natural bioactive components. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Mushroom extracts have long been traditionally used as miracle medicine to treat an extensive range of ailments. These findings indicate the potential benefits of the Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Persoon extracts for the development of multi-target therapeutics as well as extraction with appropriate solvents also provide leads for the isolation of various principle compounds. The extracts thus could be used to treat oxidative stress-related disorders as they are found to contain antioxidant compounds like phenols and others and also they possessed good antimicrobial and anticancer activity.

Crude polysaccharide from the milky mushroom, Calocybe indica, modulates innate immunity of macrophage cells by triggering MyD88-dependent TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

OBJECTIVES: Calocybe indica is a famous nutritious food in Asian countries and one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the world. Here, we have isolated crude polysaccharides from this mushroom, characterized it and investigated its antioxidant and immunostimulatory potential. METHODS: The polysaccharide was chemically characterized by spectrophotometry, FTIR and high-performance thin layer chromatography and tested its antioxidant potential by in vitro assays. Immunomodulatory activity and its underlying signalling process were ascertained in RAW 264.7 cells. KEY FINDINGS: The polysaccharide consisted of D-glucose (ß-linked sugars), D-mannose and D-galactose, where backbone was organized in random coil structure. Preliminary investigation of the bioactivity of the polysaccharide revealed its antioxidant potential. The polysaccharide could noticeably induce phagocytic activity and production of immune mediators in macrophage cells. The polysaccharide was found to enhance the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activate NF-κB signalling pathway by overexpressing MyD88, Iκ-Bα and NF-κB. Further studies indicated the polysaccharide binds to the toll-like receptor 4 to manifest its immunostimulatory activity in macrophage cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate potential therapeutic properties of the crude polysaccharide of C. indica which might provide the means to treat various radical induced and immunodeficiency disorders in the days to come.

Crude polysaccharide from a wild mushroom enhances immune response in murine macrophage cells by TLR/NF-κB pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Mushroom crude polysaccharides offer a complete package of various medicinal activities. In this context, the present study aimed to unveil structural and biomedical properties of crude polysaccharide (MLHWP) obtained from an edible wild mushroom Macrocybe lobayensis (R. Heim) Pegler & Lodge. METHOD: Chemical characterization was accomplished with the help of spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, HPTLC and GC-MS. Immunomodulatory activity of the crude polysaccharide and its signalling mechanism was assessed using RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, antioxidant activity was analysed based on radical scavenging, metal ion chelating and reducing effect. KEY FINDINGS: Compositional study revealed that MLHWP possessed triple helical structure and its backbone consisted of ß-linked glucan along with xylose, rhamnose, mannose and galactose. Investigation on bioactive potency revealed that MLHWP augmented macrophage activity in terms of viability, phagocytosis, NO and ROS generation. Gene expression studies indicated that MLHWP signalled through TLR and modulated expression of immunomodulation-related genes including NF-κB, COX-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, iNOS and Iκ-ßα. Besides, MLHWP displayed noticeable antioxidant potential as reflected in all investigating assays. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results portrayed possibility of MLHWP as pharmaceutical agent with multidimensional application.

Chemical composition and bioactivity of methanolic extract obtained from Lepista sordida

The present study aimed at the evaluation of chemical composition and bioactive potential of methanolic extract obtained from Lepista sordida in terms of antioxidative and antimicrobial efficacy. The macrofungus is recognized for its high nutritional value and medicinal properties. However, to the best of our knowledge bioactivity of its methanolic extract is yet to be explored. In this investigation, quantitative analysis of mycochemicals revealed the extract contained significant amount of phenolic compounds such as phenols and flavonoids. Ascorbic acid was found in higher amount than β carotene and lycopene which were present in vestigial amounts. A phenolic profile was also determined using high performance liquid chromatography that further confirmed the presence of 10 phenolic constituents in the extract. Furthermore, the extract was subjected for determining antioxidant potential in different in-vitro assays. The findings showed remarkable 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ABTS radical scavenging ability which was evident by low EC50 values, 330 µg/mL and 30 µg/mL respectively. The extract also demonstrated good chelating and reducing ability, an important marker of antioxidant compounds. Antimicrobial screening displayed positive results against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Altogether, the observations recommend therapeutic application of this mycotaxon on a commercial basis.

Studies on structure and antioxidant properties of a heteroglycan isolated from wild edible mushroom Lentinus sajor-caju.

A water-soluble heteroglycan (PS-I) isolated from the aqueous extract of a wild edible mushroom Lentinus sajor-caju showed average molecular weight ∼1.79×105Da. The structure of the polysaccharide was determined using chemical and 1D/2D NMR experiments. Acid hydrolysis indicated the presence of d-glucose, d-galactose, d-mannose, and l-fucose in a molar ratio of nearly 4:4:1:1 respectively. The presence of terminal Fucp, terminal Galp, (1→3)-Glcp, (1→6)-Galp, (1→6)-Glcp, (1→4,6)-Galp, and (1→2,4)-Manp moieties were established from methylation analysis. The chemical and NMR analyses indicated that the PS-I was a heteroglycan composed of a repeating unit with backbone chain of three (1→6)-α-d-galactopyranosyl residues, two (1→6)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl residues, one (1→4)-α-d-mannopyranosyl residue, and two (1→3)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl residues where one (1→6)-α-d-galactopyranosyl residue was branched at O-4 position with terminal α-l-fucopyranosyl residue and (1→4)-α-d-mannopyranosyl residue was branched at O-2 position with terminal α-d-galactopyranosyl residue and the structure was proposed as; The PS-I is a moderate antioxidant compound which showed DPPH radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical scavenging property, reducing power, and ferrous ion chelating ability.

Study of algal biomass harvesting through cationic cassia gum, a natural plant based biopolymer.

Green unicellular microalgae have a capacity to entrap CO2 to increase their biomass through photosynthesis and are important for the value added product. The presence of COOH and NH2 groups are responsible for imparting negative zeta value. The present work emphasizes on the synthesis of cationic cassia (CCAS) by the insertion of quaternary amine groups onto the backbone of cassia (CAS) from N-3-Chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC) which was further characterized via FTIR, SEM, elemental analysis and intrinsic viscosity. The optimal dosage of the synthesized cationic cassia is used to flocculate two different green fresh water algae viz. Chlamydomonas sp. CRP7 and Chlorella sp. CB4 were evaluated. 80 and 35 mg L(-1) was optimized dose for dewatering of above algae, respectively.

Modified tamarind kernel polysaccharide: a novel matrix for control release of aspirin.

pH dependent hydrogels of modified tamarind kernel polysaccharide (TKP) were synthesized by grafting with polyacrylamide chains on TKP backbone in presence of microwave irradiation and initiator. The present study is carried out to design oral controlled drug delivery systems for aspirin using synthesized hydrogels as carrier in form of tablets. TKP-g-PAM based hydrogels show significant enhancement for control release of aspirin. Release behavior of aspirin has been evaluated using USP type I apparatus in 900 mL of buffer solutions (pH 1.2, 6.8, 7.4), maintained at 37°C at 100 rpm. It is observed that with increase in percentage of grafting (% G), swelling of matrices increases whereas erosion and rate of drug release decrease. The effect of % G onto t50 value (time taken for release of 50% drug) has also been discussed. The release characteristics from the matrices under study show non-Fickian diffusion mechanism, suggesting the controlled release of aspirin.

Study of algal biomass harvesting using cationic guar gum from the natural plant source as flocculant.

Microalgae are small in size with negatively charged surface. They are usually stable in suspension culture and hard to flocculate. The present work emphasizes on the synthesis of cationic guar gum (CGG) by the introduction of quaternary amine groups onto the backbone of guar gum (GG) from N-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC). The optimal dosage of the synthesized cationic guar gum is used to flocculate two different green algae viz. Chlorella sp. CB4 and Chlamydomonas sp. CRP7.

RETRACTED: High performance polymeric flocculants based on modified polysaccharides-Microwave assisted synthesis.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. Panels PAM, SAG and CMS-g-PAM (M) of Figure 1 do not appear to be original. Panel PAM from Figure 1 appears similar to panel PAM from Figure 4b of the article "Microwave assisted synthesis of polyacrylamide grafted dextrin (Dxt-g-PAM): Development and application of a novel polymeric flocculant" that some of the authors et al have previously published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 47 (2010) 623-631 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2010.08.009, and panel PAM from Figure 2b of the article "A novel polymeric flocculant based on polyacrylamide grafted carboxymethylstarch" that most of the authors et al have previously published in Carbohydrate Polymers 77 (2009) 822-831 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2009.03.007. Panels SAG and SAG-g-PAM (M) from Figure 1 appear similar to panels SAG and SAG-g-PAM 6 from Figure 7 of the article "Microwave-initiated synthesis of polyacrylamide grafted sodium alginate: Synthesis and characterization" that first two authors et al have previously published in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science 115 (2010) 63-71 https://doi.org/10.1002/app.30596. One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that the paper has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a misuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.

High performance polymeric flocculant based on hydrolyzed polyacrylamide grafted tamarind kernel polysaccharide (Hyd. TKP-g-PAM).

A high performance anionic flocculant was synthesized by partial alkaline hydrolysis of polyacrylamide grafted tamarind kernel polysaccharide. Various macromolecular characterizations were employed to confirm that partial alkaline hydrolysis of grafted polyacrylamide chains does take place. The flocculation characteristics of the hydrolyzed and unhydrolyzed grafted products were carried out in kaolin suspension and municipal sewage wastewater and it has been found that hydrolyzed product outperforms the unhydrolyzed grafted TKP.

Novel biodegradable polymeric flocculant based on polyacrylamide-grafted tamarind kernel polysaccharide.

Novel biodegradable polymeric flocculants were produced by conventional redox grafting, microwave-initiated and microwave-assisted grafting of acrylamide to tamarind kernel polysaccharide (TKP). The graft copolymers were characterized by viscometry, elemental analysis, molecular weight determination using SLS analysis, and NMR spectroscopy. The flocculation efficiency of the grafting products in kaolin suspension, municipal sewage wastewater and textile industry wastewater was primarily dependent on the length of the grafted polyacrylamide chain. The flocculant obtained by microwave-assisted grafting method was superior to TKP and polyacrylamide-based commercial flocculant (Rishfloc 226 LV) in flocculation tests.

Cationic tamarind kernel polysaccharide (Cat TKP): A novel polymeric flocculant for the treatment of textile industry wastewater.

Synthesis of cationic tamarind kernel polysaccharide (Cat TKP), its detailed physicochemical characterization and application as an efficient flocculant for the treatment of textile industry wastewater have been investigated. N-3-Chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC) was used as a cationic reagent to introduce quaternary amine groups onto the backbone of tamarind kernel polysaccharide (TKP). Various grades were synthesized to obtain the optimized one. Effect of reaction parameters onto the degree of cationization has also been investigated. The synthesized polymers were characterized by various macromolecular characterization techniques, which confirm that cationization does take place. Afterwards, the applicability of TKP and various grades of Cat TKP's as flocculants for the treatment of textile industry wastewater was investigated. The flocculation experiments showed that TKP alone contributes little to the flocculation. However, cationic TKP led to significant improvement as flocculant for the treatment of textile industry wastewater. The best performing Cat TKP (i.e. Cat TKP 3) was thereafter compared with a commercial flocculant, which is cationic in nature. It has been observed that Cat TKP 3 surpasses the flocculation efficiency over commercial flocculant.