Antioxidant Activities of Pistillarin in the Clustered Coral Mushroom, Ramaria botrytis (Agaricomycetes), and Discovery of Pistillarin B.

Ramaria botrytis is a popular mushroom in Asian countries, particularly known for its crispy texture and rich nutrient content. In this study, we found potent lipid peroxidation-inhibiting activity in this mushroom and identified the active compound associated with this activity as pistillarin. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of pistillarin in R. botrytis. Our study is the first to investigate the inhibitory effects of pistillarin against physiological reactive oxygen species such as 1O2, •OH, and O2- and lipid peroxidation, which damages living tissues. We also clarified its characteristic antioxidant activities, with no 1O2 and •OH quenching activity (IC50 > 100 µÐœ), moderate O2- quenching activity (IC50 of 10.2 µÐœ), and potent lipid peroxidation-inhibiting activity (IC50 of 0.66 µÐœ), for the first time. Furthermore, we found a new pistillarin-related compound (pistillarin B) in salted R. botrytis. We isolated pistillarin B, determined its structure, and examined its lipid peroxidation-inhibiting activity (IC50 of 6.88 µÐœ).

Effects of oil thermally processed with vegetable protein on gastrointestinal tract content transfer.

It has been reported that oil heated with vegetable protein under reduced pressure, followed by filtration (soy oil), decreased body, liver and retroperitoneal fat tissue weights and serum triacylglycerol levels in Wistar rats. In order to clarify the mechanism of these weight-loss promoting effects, gastrointestinal tract content transfer was traced. Fasted 10-week-old rats were fed a slurry containing AIN93G without fat, Cr(2)O(3) (marker), and 7 wt% soy oil or fresh oil (control) and sacrificed at 20, 60, 120, or 360 min; then, blood, stomach, small intestine, cecum, colon and feces were collected. The results indicated that the content transferred faster from stomach to small intestine in the soy oil group than in the control group. At 60 min after the ingestion of diet, an increased serum triacylglycerol level was found in the soy oil group. In addition, fecal excretion in the soy oil group was significantly higher 120 min after the administration than in the control group, suggesting that soy oil stimulated peristalsis of the colon and that colon contents (food ingested before administration) were actively excreted.