Pro-Health and Anti-Cancer Activity of Fungal Fractions Isolated from Milk-Supplemented Cultures of Lentinus (Pleurotus) Sajor-caju.

The present study aimed to demonstrate Lentinus (formerly Pleurotus) sajor-caju (PSC) as a good source of pro-health substances. It has also shown that supplementation of its culture medium with cow milk may further improve its beneficial properties. Intracellular fractions from fungi grown on a medium supplemented with cow milk were analyzed using various biochemical methods for determination of the nutrient composition. Furthermore, anti-cancer properties of selected extracts were investigated on colorectal cancer cell lines (HT-29, LS 180, and SW948) in vitro. Biochemical analysis showed enrichment in health-enhancing compounds, such as proteins or polysaccharides (about 3.5- and 4.5-fold increase in concentration of proteins and carbohydratesin extracts of mycelia cultured on whole milk (PSC2-I), respectively), with a decrease in the level of free radicals (10-fold decrease in extract grown on milk and medium mixture (1:1) (PSC3-II)), which was related to increased catalase and superoxide dismutase activity (7.5-fold increase in catalase activity and 5-fold in SOD activity in PSC3-II compared to the control). Moreover, the viability of the cancer cells was diminished (to 60.0 ± 6.8% and 40.0 ± 8.6% of the control, on HT-29 and SW948 cells, respectively), along with pro-apoptotic (to 18.8 ± 11.8 and 14.7 ± 8.0% towards LS 180 and SW948 cells, respectively) and NO-secreting effects (about 2-fold increase) of the extracts. This study suggests that PSC has multiple nutritional and anti-cancer properties and can be used as a source of healthy biomolecules in modern medicine or 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.

Antimelanomic Effects of High- and Low-Molecular Weight Bioactive Subfractions Isolated from the Mossy Maze Mushroom, Cerrena unicolor (Agaricomycetes).

Three bioactive fractions isolated from Cerrena unicolor cultures-crude endopolysaccharide (c-EPS), laccase, and a subfraction of low-molecular weight secondary metabolites-were used to determine potential cytotoxic effects on the mouse melanoma B16-F10 cell line (American Type Culture Collection CRL-6475). The results obtained prove that all examined fractions exhibited activity against the investigated tumor cells. In addition, an evident immunomodulatory effect of the c-EPS fraction was observed. Our results show that the levels of 2 cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-a and chemokine ligand 2) in mouse inner medullary collecting duct mIMCD-3 cells (American Type Culture Collection CRL-2123) stimulated by c-EPS were significantly higher. A lipopolysaccharide model was used at the same concentration (10 µg/mL) as a positive control.

Stimulation of the Antioxidative and Antimicrobial Potential of the Blood Red Bracket Mushroom Pycnoporus sanguineus (Higher Basidiomycetes).

The antioxidative and antibacterial properties of low-molecular-weight secondary metabolite subfractions (ex-LMS) from cultures of Pycnoporus sanguineus cultivated under different temperature conditions (25°C [ex-LMSa] and 30°C [ex-LMSb]) were assessed. The antioxidative properties were studied using chemiluminometric measurement, an ABTS assay, and a DPPH reduction rate assay with Trolox and ascorbic acid as the control. The values noted for the ex-LMSb were significantly higher than those for ex-LMSa: 97%, 52%, and 31% for chemiluminometric measurement, the ABTS assay, and the DPPH assay, respectively, at a concentration of 50 µg/mL. Half-maximal effective concentrations reached 4.17 µg/mL for chemiluminometric measurement, 47.25 µg/mL for the ABTS assay, and 51.46 µg/mL for DPPH assay. Toxicity tests against Vibrio fischeri yielded 99.8% for ex-LMSa and 99.85% for ex-LMSb. Antibacterial activity toward Staphylococcus aureus was observed in the ex-LMSb fractions (inhibition zone, 23.5 mm; minimum inhibitory concentration, 0.12 mg/mL). Scanning electron microscopy images exhibited severe disruption of the bacterial cells treated with ex-LMSb compared with the control. The results obtained suggest that the extracellular fluid isolated from P. sanguineus-submerged cultures might be a good source of antioxidative and antibacterial compounds. In addition, the increase in the culture temperature evidently enhanced the bioactive properties of the preparation.