Effects of an ergothioneine-rich Pleurotus sp. on skin moisturizing functions and facial conditions: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: L-ergothioneine (EGT), an antioxidative and anti-inflammatory amino acid, is abundant in various mushroom fruiting bodies. Meanwhile, the effects of EGT-containing mushrooms on human skin are unknown. This study investigated the effects of oral ingestion of a novel EGT-rich strain of Pleurotus species (hiratake) on skin conditions in humans. Methods: We conducted a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial to evaluate skin moisturizing functions and facial conditions in 80 healthy women who were randomly assigned to either a group that was supplemented with hiratake tablets containing 25 mg of EGT/day or a placebo group. Skin moisture content, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and facial scores (VISIA scores) were measured at baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks of supplementation. Results: At 8 weeks, the skin moisture content was significantly higher on the temple in the hiratake group than in the placebo group. The hiratake group also exhibited a significant increase in skin moisture content on the arm at 8 and 12 weeks compared with baseline. At 12 weeks, wrinkle and texture scores were significantly better in the hiratake group than in the placebo group, and plasma EGT concentrations in the hiratake group were 4.7-fold higher than baseline (from 3.4 to 15.9 µM). Furthermore, EGT concentrations in plasma were significantly correlated with improvements in skin moisture content and TEWL on the arm, implying that these skin moisturizing benefits could be partly attributed to EGT. A stratified analysis of participants with a low baseline plasma EGT concentration (< 3.3 µM) revealed that skin moisture content on the temple was significantly higher at 8 and 12 weeks, and skin moisture content on the arm at 12 weeks tended to be higher (p = 0.074), in the hiratake group than in the placebo group. These findings suggested that oral ingestion of EGT-rich hiratake can improve skin moisturizing functions. Conclusion: EGT-rich hiratake may help maintain skin conditions in healthy women, and EGT may play a role in these beneficial effects.

Assessing the nutritional quality of Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom).

There is a huge gap between food production and the exploding population demands in various parts of the world, especially developing countries. This increases the chances of malnutrition, leading to increased disease incidence and the need for functional foods to reduce mortality. Pleurotus ostreatus are edible mushrooms that are cheaply sourced and rich in nutrient with the potential to be harnessed toward addressing the present and future food crisis while serving as functional foods for disease prevention and treatment. This study evaluated the nutritional, proximate, vitamins and amino acids contents of Pleurotus ostreatus. The proximate composition of Pleurotus ostreatus in this study revealed that it contains 43.42% carbohydrate, 23.63% crude fiber, 17.06% crude protein, 8.22% ash, 1.21% lipid and a moisture content of 91.01 and 6.46% for fresh and dry samples of Pleurotus ostreatus, respectively. The monosaccharide and disaccharide profile of Pleurotus ostreatus revealed the presence of glucose (55.08 g/100 g), xylose (7.19 g/100 g), fructose (19.70 g/100 g), galactose (17.47 g/100 g), trehalose (7.37 g/100 g), chitobiose (11.79 g/100 g), maltose (29.21 g/100 g), sucrose (51.60 g/100 g) and lower amounts of cellobiose (0.01 g/100 g), erythrose (0.48 g/100 g) and other unidentified sugars. Potassium, Iron and Magnesium were the highest minerals present with 12.25 mg, 9.66 mg and 7.00 mg amounts, respectively. The vitamin profile revealed the presence of vitamin A (2.93 IU/100 g), C (16.46 mg/100 g), E (21.50 mg/100 g) and B vitamins with vitamin B2 having the highest concentration of 92.97 mg/kg. The amino acid scores showed that Pleurotus ostreatus had more non-essential amino acids (564.17 mg/100 g) than essential amino acids (67.83 mg/100 g) with a ratio of 0.11. Lysine (23.18 mg/100 g) was the highest essential amino acid while aspartic acid (492.12 mg/kg) was the highest non-essential amino acid present in Pleurotus ostreatus. It had a higher concentration of acidic amino acids, 492.12 mg/100 g (77.87%), followed by neutral amino acids, 106.66 mg/100 g (16.88%) and least were the basic amino acids, 23.18 mg/100 g (3.67%). Based on the nutritional assessment of the Pleurotus ostreatus analyzed in this study, it can be concluded that it can serve as an important functional food source that can be exploited to meet the increasing food demands and reduce micronutrient deficiencies in many parts of the world, especially developing countries.

Substrate composition effect on the nutritional quality of Pleurotus ostreatus (MK751847) fruiting body.

Underutilized palm oil waste (shaft and bunch) and sawdust supplemented with wheat and rice bran were used to cultivate mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus). Substrates were compounded following the designed protocol, bagged, and sterilized. Bags were inoculated with actively growing spawn, incubated at 28 ± 2 °C, ramified, and growth parameters were observed and recorded. The highest values were obtained in protein content of (19.14%) in the shaft supplemented with wheat bran, fat contents (1.70%) in the bunch alone, ash content of 10.10% and 9.59% in the fermented bunch, and bunch supplemented with wheat bran respectively. Bunch combined with sawdust gave the highest carbohydrate of 6.19%. Fermented bunch gave the highest value of vitamin A (2.21 UI/100g), E (5.71 UI/100g), and D (5.90 UI/100g). In the current study, it was shown that Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated on the palm waste substrate supplemented with rice bran and wheat bran produced better dietic quality mushrooms.

Untargeted Metabolomics Used to Describe the Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Effects of Extracts from Pleurotus spp. Mycelium Grown in Different Culture Media.

Pleurotus species isolated in vitro were studied to determine the effect of different media on their production of secondary metabolites, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activity. The different metabolites among Pleurotus samples covered a total of 58 pathways. Comparisons were made between the metabolic profiles of Pleurotus spp. mycelia grown in two substrates: Potato-dextrose-agar-PDA, used as control (S1), and PDA enriched with 0.5 % of wheat straw (S2). The main finding was that the metabolic pathways are strongly influenced by the chemical composition of the growth substrate. The antibacterial effects were particularly evident against Escherichia coli, whereas Arthroderma curreyi (CCF 5207) and Trichophyton rubrum (CCF 4933) were the dermatophytes more sensitive to the mushroom extracts. The present study supports more in-depth investigations, aimed at evaluating the influence of growth substrate on Pleurotus spp. antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

Improving the nutritional value and digestibility of wheat straw, rice straw, and corn cob through solid state fermentation using different Pleurotus species.

BACKGROUND: The growing food-feed-fuel competition, declining availability of traditional feeds, higher prices, and the urgent need to provide long-term sustainability for animal production have all triggered global research into the optimum extraction of energy and nutrients from lignin-rich plant biomass. Recent studies have shown that the Pleurotus species of white rot fungus can selectively degrade lignin in lignin-rich plant biomass; however, its effectiveness in selectively degrading lignin depends on the type of substrate and species of fungus. This study was therefore designed to treat wheat straw, rice straw, and corn cob, with Pleurotus eryngii, P. ostreatus, and P. florida for 30 days under solid-state fermentation, to identify a promising fungus-substrate combination for the selective degradation of lignin and optimal improvement in the nutritional value and digestibility of each substrate. RESULTS: The type of fungus strongly influenced (P < 0.01) selectivity in lignin degradation, and the level of improvement in crude protein (CP), in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), and in vitro gas production (IVGP), in wheat straw, rice straw, and corn cob. Fungus-substrate interaction data revealed that P. ostreatus caused maximum (P < 0.05) degradation of lignin, and greater (P < 0.05) improvement in CP, IVDMD, and IVGP in wheat straw and rice straw. The lowest (P < 0.05) degradation of lignin and improvement in CP, IVDMD, and IVGP was caused by P. eryngii in corn cob. Among the fungi, the maximum (P < 0.05) degradation of lignin, and greater (P < 0.05) improvement in CP, IVDMD, and IVGP were caused by P. florida as compared with those of P. ostreatus and P. eryngii. CONCLUSION: The results highlight significant influence of fungus-substrate combination for selective lignin degradability and the consequent improvement in the nutritional value of the substrates. Maximum selective lignin degradability and improvement in nutritional value and digestibility was caused by P. ostreatus in wheat straw and in rice straw, and by P. florida in corn cob. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Selected edible medicinal mushrooms from Pleurotus genus as an answer for human civilization diseases.

Edible mushrooms are classified as a functional food. The study aimed to initiate in vitro cultures of selected species of Pleurotus: P. citrinopileatus, P. djamor, P. eryngii, P. florida, P. ostreatus, and P. pulmonarius and to optimize the method of cultivation of these species to obtain raw materials characterized by pro-health properties. Another objective was to analyze the biologically active substances in the obtained mushroom materials. By determining the organic compounds and bioelements present in the species selected for the study, it was found that the fruiting bodies obtained by cultivation were characterized by a high content of phenolic and indole compounds. Similarly, the mycelia obtained from in vitro culture were found to contain significant amounts of organic compounds exhibiting biological effects such as lovastatin. The study revealed that the composition of biologically active substances varied between the mycelia obtained from in vitro cultures and the fruiting bodies obtained by cultivation.

Direct sunlight enabled photo-biochemical synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their Bactericidal Efficacy: Photon energy as key for size and distribution control.

It is highly desirable to discover novel green synthesis methods for cheap and scalable synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) to reduce the negative impact on the environment. But these approaches generally impose great challenge in controlling size, shape, and homogeneity of product NPs. Here in the present study, we report a novel approach enabling direct sunlight and oyster mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) extract for the photo-biochemical synthesis of Ag NPs. Sunlight of different wavelength was used to control the size and distribution of photo-biochemically produced NPs. Interestingly, it is observed that a smaller wavelength of sunlight produces smaller sized of NPs with a narrow size distribution. For examples; blue sunlight produces colloidal silver NPs with an average diameter of ~ 3.28 nm and 0.72 nm size distribution, while full sunlight produces comparatively larger sized (7.08 nm) NPs with wider (2.92 nm) size distribution. Since present approach uses only direct sunlight, freely available renewable energy source, a cheap biological extract as reducing and capping agent and cheap silver precursor, therefore it is an environment-friendly approach and can be used for the synthesis of NPs at industrial scale. Moreover, the size-dependent bactericidal effect has also been studied against pathogenic, Escherichia coli, bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 25 ppm and MBC 30 ppm have been observed for silver NPs of 3.28 nm average diameter.

Mycoremediation potential of Pleurotus species for heavy metals: a review.

Mycoremediation is one of the biotechniques that recruits fungi to remove toxic pollutants from environment in an efficient and economical manner. Mushrooms, macro-fungi, are among the nature's most important mycoremediators. Pleurotus species (also called oyster mushrooms) are considered to be the most popular and widely cultivated varieties worldwide and this might be attributed to their low production cost and higher yields. Apart from their nutritive and therapeutic properties, Pleurotus species have high biosorption potential due to their extensive biomass, i.e. mycelial production. The genus has been reported to accumulate high levels of heavy metals. The current state-of-the art review mainly summarises previous investigations carried out by researchers on different roles and mechanisms played by Pleurotus species on heavy metals mycoremediation.

Olive Mill Waste Enhances α-Glucan Content in the Edible Mushroom Pleurotus eryngii.

Mushroom polysaccharides are edible polymers that have numerous reported biological functions; the most common effects are attributed to ß-glucans. In recent years, it became apparent that the less abundant α-glucans also possess potent effects in various health conditions. Here we explore several Pleurotus species for their total, ß and α-glucan content. Pleurotus eryngii was found to have the highest total glucan concentrations and the highest α-glucans proportion. We also found that the stalks (stipe) of the fruit body contained higher glucan content then the caps (pileus). Since mushrooms respond markedly to changes in environmental and growth conditions, we developed cultivation methods aiming to increase the levels of α and ß-glucans. Using olive mill solid waste (OMSW) from three-phase olive mills in the cultivation substrate. We were able to enrich the levels mainly of α-glucans. Maximal total glucan concentrations were enhanced up to twice when the growth substrate contained 80% of OMSW compared to no OMSW. Taking together this study demonstrate that Pleurotus eryngii can serve as a potential rich source of glucans for nutritional and medicinal applications and that glucan content in mushroom fruiting bodies can be further enriched by applying OMSW into the cultivation substrate.

Role of ligninolytic enzymes of white rot fungi (Pleurotus spp.) grown with azo dyes.

BACKGROUND: Total three Pleurotus species (P. ostreatus, P. sapidus, P. florida) was compared for ligninolytic enzyme production grown with Coralene Golden Yellow, Coralene Navy Blue and Coralene Dark Red azo dyes in liquid medium under shaking condition. RESULTS: The biodegradation competency varied from species to species and it was found that P. ostreatus, P. sapidus and P. florida to 20 ppm dye concentration shows 88, 92 and 98 % decolorization, respectively for all three dyes. Production pattern of laccase, manganese dependent peroxidase and lignin peroxidase were studied during the growth of the organisms for 10 days. Laccase was found to be the major extracellular ligninolytic enzyme produced by fungus with negligible detection of lignin peroxidases. In all concentration of three dye studied, maximum laccase activity was observed on day 8, for 20 mg/l of dye laccase specific activity was 1-1.58 U/mg in P. ostreatus, 0.5-0.78 U/mg in P. sapidus and 1-1.92 U/mg in P. florida. Different factors (dye concentration, pH, protein and sugar estimation) influencing the ability of Pleurotus species to degrade dyes is documented and degradation was attributed to microbial action irrespective of pH change. HPTLC analysis of samples indicated degradation of dyes into intermediate products. CONCLUSION: Level of ligninolytic enzymes is playing a major role in degradation of dye, which is dependent on time of incubation and species of fungi.

Genomic Differentiation Among Oyster Mushroom Cultivars Released in Korea by URP-PCR Fingerprinting

URP primers of 20 mer derived from repetitive sequence of rice were used to assess genetic variation of oyster mushroom consisting of 10 cultivars of Pleurotus ostreatus, two cultivars of P. florida and two cultivars of P. sajor-caju which were registered in Korea. URP2F and URP38F primers produced cultivar-specific PCR polymorphic bands in the Pleurotus species. UPGMA cluster analysis using the URP-PCR data showed that 14 Pleurotus cultivars are genetically clustered into large three groups. The URP-PCR data provided important information for more efficient breeding strategies of Pleurotus cultivars.