Historical and current perspectives on therapeutic potential of higher basidiomycetes: an overview.

Mushrooms are macroscopic fungi which can be either epigeous or hypogeous and is estimated to be 140,000 on earth, yet only 10% are known. Since ancient time, it played a diverse role in human history for mycolatry, mycophagy and as medicine in folklore and religion. Many Asian and western countries consider mushrooms as panacea for a large number of diseases and utilized for consumption as a gourmet food for its taste as well as flavor. In recent years, scientific research fraternities have confirmed that various extracts and metabolites of mushrooms used traditionally are able to treat a wide range of diseases due to their balanced modulation of multiple targets thereby providing a greater therapeutic effect or equivalent curative effect to that of modern medicine. Medicinal mushrooms especially those belonging to higher basidiomycete groups are reservoir of bioactive compounds with multiple therapeutic properties. The present review provides historical importance as well as an updated information on pharmacologically relevant higher basidiomycetes belong to the genus Agaricus, Auricularia, Phellinus, Ganoderma, Pleurotus, Trametes and Lentinus and their biologically active secondary metabolites. This will help the researchers to understand various type of secondary metabolites, their therapeutic role and related in vivo or in vitro work at a glance. The mounting evidences from several scientific community across the globe, regarding various therapeutic applications of mushroom extracts, unarguably make it an advance research area worth mass attention.

Mitigating Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity by Using a Water-Alcohol Extract of Phellinus caryophylli (Agaricomycetes) in a Murine Model.

This study investigates the hepatoprotective effect of a water-alcohol extract of the medicinal mushroom Phellinus caryophylli (Racib.) G. Cunn. (PCE) against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity in Swiss albino mice. The mice orally received APAP (150 mg/kg body weight), followed by PCE extract (250 or 500 mg/kg body weight). The liver damage induced by APAP was analyzed on the basis of blood serum parameters (glutamate pyruvate transaminase, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase), antioxidant assays (reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase), and tissue peroxidation based on malondialdehyde level. The molecular mechanism underlying the prevention of APAP-induced damage by PCE was also analyzed. Liver damage was confirmed on the basis of increased serum parameter values, decreased antioxidant levels, and cellular and molecular alterations, which PCE restored in a dose-dependent manner. At a transcriptional level, PCE downregulated expression of the preapoptototic gene Bax and the inflammatory gene Cox2 but upregulated the antiapoptotic gene Bcl2 in the mice that received APAP. PCE exerted a hepatoprotective effect by preventing apoptotic and inflammatory events caused by APAP. Thus, this study demonstrates a hepatoprotective effect of PCE, which could be explored further for managing hepatopathy.

Qualitative estimation of sesquiterpenoids and triterpenoids of some Phansomba (Indian Medicinal Phellinus spp.) samples and its adulterant Hymenochaete species.

In the present investigation 16 species of Phellinus and 6 species of Hymenochaete (collected as an adulterant) were screened for sesquiterpenoids and triterpenoids. A total of 11 spots were detected in both sesquiterpenoids and triterpenoids chromatograms. The terpenoids were not identified. The spots obtained for Phellinus were compared with the spots of Hymenochaete. It was revealed from the SAB and D values that almost half of the species of Phellinus have about 45% to 57% dissimilarity in case of sesquiterpenoids and 50% to 60% dissimilarity with the triterpenoids. However, since both the taxa are from the same family, the spots that were common may be characteristic of the family. Such a study may be used to reveal the adulteration in medicinal Phellinus samples.

Ascorbic acid, garlic extract and taurine alleviate cadmium-induced oxidative stress in freshwater catfish (Clarias batrachus).

An experiment was conducted to investigate bioaccumulation potential of cadmium (Cd) and changes in oxidative stress indices in liver and kidney tissues from Cd-exposed catfish (Clarias batrachus) with or without simultaneous treatment of water with ascorbic acid, garlic extract or taurine. C. batrachus (n=324) with average length of 20+/-4 cm and weight of 86+/-5 g were used for the present investigation. Fishes were divided into nine groups (I to IX) each comprising 36 fishes. The fishes of groups II, III, IV and V were challenged with 5 ppm of cadmium chloride monohydrate (CdCl2.H2O), whereas groups VI, VII, VIII and IX were exposed to 10 ppm CdCl2.H2O solution for a period of 45 days. Group I was kept as negative control and the fishes of this group were maintained in water containing no added Cadmium. Group II and VI were maintained as Cd exposed non treated control to serve as positive controls. Fishes of III and VII, IV and VIII, V and IX received ascorbic acid (5 ppm), extract of dried garlic (5 ppm) or taurine (5 ppm), respectively during the entire experiment period. The concentrations of Cd in liver and kidney increased significantly following exposure to Cd and the level continued to rise with the increase in exposure duration. Treatment of tank water with ascorbic acid, garlic or taurine significantly reduced the Cd concentrations in tissues compared to the positive control group, but the level in Cd exposed groups was greater than the negative control group. Fishes exposed to Cd and treated with ascorbic acid, garlic or taurine had reduced oxidative stress as evidenced from lower concentration of lipid peroxides and higher activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in liver, kidney and erythrocytes compared to fishes exposed to Cd. The reduction in Cd induced oxidative stress was highest in ascorbic acid treated group followed by garlic and taurine treatment. The results suggest that ascorbic acid, garlic and taurine have potential to reduce tissue accumulation of Cd and associated oxidative stress in freshwater catfish.