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.

Chemical profiling and mechanisms of Agarikon pill in a rat model of cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background and aim: Agarikon pill (AGKP), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, and has been used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment clinically. However, the active components and exact pharmacological mechanisms are still unclear. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of AGKP on COPD and identify the chemical constituents and active compounds. Experimental procedure: The chemical components of AGKP were identified by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS). Network pharmacology analysis was performed to uncover the potential mechanism of AGKP. The efficiencies and mechanisms of AGKP were further confirmed in COPD animal models. Results and conclusion: Ninety compounds from AGKP, such as flavonoids, triterpenoids, saponins, anthracenes, derivatives, phenyl propionic acid, and other organic acids, were identified in our study. AGKP improved lung function and pathological changes in COPD model rats. Additionally, inflammatory cell infiltration and proinflammatory cytokine levels were markedly reduced in COPD rats administered AGKP. Network pharmacology analysis showed that the inflammatory response is the crucial mechanism by which AGKP exerts therapeutic effects on COPD rats. WB and PCR data indicated that AGKP attenuated the inflammatory response in COPD model rats. AGKP reduces the pulmonary inflammatory response through the PI3K/AKT and MAPK TLR/NF-κB signaling pathways and exerts therapeutic effects via inhibition of inflammation and mucus hypersecretion on COPD model rats.

Fungal mycelial mats used as textile by indigenous people of North America.

The indigenous people of the United States and Canada long have used forest fungi for food, tinder, medicine, paint, and many other cultural uses. New information about historical uses of fungi continues to be discovered from museums as accessions of fungi and objects made from fungi collected over the last 150+ years are examined and identified. Two textiles thought to be made from fungal mats are located in the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, and the Oakland Museum of California. Scanning electron microscopy and DNA sequencing were used to attempt to identify the fungus that produced the mats. Although DNA sequencing failed to yield a taxonomic identification, microscopy and characteristics of the mycelial mats suggest that the mats were produced by Laricifomes officinalis. This first report of fungal mats used for textile by indigenous people of North America will help to alert museum curators and conservators as well as mycological researchers to their existence and hopefully lead to more items being discovered that have been made from fungal fabric.

Lanostane triterpenoids from Fomitopsis officinalis and their trypanocidal activity.

Fomitopsis officinalis is a medicinal fungus, known as 'Agarikon', and is used traditionally in the treatment of asthma and rheumatism in Mongolia. The investigation of the chemical constituents of F. officinalis led to the isolation of 4 new lanostane triterpenoids together with 4 known triterpenoids. Inhibitory activity against Trypanosoma congolense, which causes fatal diseases in animals including livestock, was estimated for the isolated compounds. Compounds 2-5 and 8 exhibited moderate inhibition activities with IC50 values ranging from 7.0-27.1 µM.