Antioxidative and Immunomodulatory Activities of the Exopolysaccharides from Submerged Culture of Hen of the Woods or Maitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Grifola frondosa (Agaricomycetes) by Addition of Rhizoma gastrodiae Extract and Its Main Components.

Grifola frondosa (hen of the woods or maitake) is a famous culinary-medicinal mushroom, and its exopolysaccharides (EPSs) have biological activities with or without supplementation with exogenous additives. In this study, a Rhizoma gastrodiae extract was added to a G. frondosa fermentation system. P-hydroxylbenzaldehyde (HBA), the main product of R. gastrodiae, had the highest utilization rate in the fermentation process (42%). In addition, the EPSs of G. frondosa after addition of R. gastrodiae extract (REPS), of HBA (HEPS), or of a standard solution according to the main component ratio of R. gastrodiae extract (CEPS) were obtained. We then determined the antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of EPS, REPS, HEPS, and CEPS. Overall, REPS showed the highest antioxidant activities compared with EPS and HEPS (P < 0.05) but similar to that of CEPS (P > 0.05). The half-inhibitory concentration (ED50) values of REPS (< 4 mg/mL) were lower than those of EPS, HEPS, and CEPS. Moreover, REPS was better able to stimulate phagocytosis and nitric oxide production of RAW 264.7 macrophages than were the others, without a significant difference from CEPS (P > 0.05). An interesting and important finding is that a R. gastrodiae extract can increase antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of EPS preparations from G. frondosa, and the standard solution of the main components of the R. gastrodiae extract may be better for simulating fermentation performed by G. frondosa and biological activities of its major products.

[Ecological risk evaluation of heavy metals of the typical dredged mud in Shanghai].

In order to discuss the potential ecological risk of heavy metals of the typical dredged mud in Shanghai, the Hakanson potential ecological risks method was used to analyse and assess the potential ecological risks of heavy metals, including Hg, Cd, Cu, Pb, As,Cr and Zn in dredged mud from the following three areas-the dock apron of Huangpu River, the mouth of the Yangtze River and inland waterways. The results showed that the mean values of ecological risk index (Er(i)) of the seven heavy metals are 20.05, 17.49, 8.82, 5.71, 4.68, 1.74 and 1.13, respectively, all of which belonged to the low ecological risk; Cd (one location in inland waterways) and Hg (three locations in the mouth of the Yangtze River and one location in inland waterways) are the most hazardous elements, with the Er(i) > 40, which belonged to the medium ecological risk or the high ecological risk, and other elements belonged to the low ecological risk. From the results of ecological risk indices(ERI) of the heavy metals in Shanghai dredged mud, the risk of the heavy metals belonged to the low ecological risk. The ERI of inland waterways, the mouth of the Yangtze River and the dock apron of the Huangpu River were 81.4, 57.7 and 52.5, respectively, which all belong to the low ecological risk.