Search Results (16)

Under global climate change, sustainable management of plant resources in alpine canyon regions faces severe challenges. M. esculenta, highly valued for its edible and medicinal properties, is widely harvested for consumption by residents in the upper Dadu River–Minjiang River region. This study employs ensemble models to simulate the potential distribution of M. esculenta in this region, predicting the impacts of future climate change on its distribution, centroid migration of suitable habitats, and niche dynamics. Additionally, a production dynamics model integrating ecological suitability and nutritional components was developed to delineate current and future potential cultivation zones for M. esculenta. The results indicate that current high-suitability areas and core cultivation zones of M. esculenta are predominantly distributed in a patchy and fragmented pattern. The high-suitability habitats in the upper Dadu River–Minjiang River region have three distribution centers: the largest spans southern Danba County, southern Jinchuan County, and northeastern Kangding City, while the other two are located in northeastern Li County, southwestern Aba County, and northwestern Ma’erkang City, with sporadic distributions in Heishui County, Maoxian County, and Wenchuan County. First-level cultivation areas are primarily concentrated in Kangding City, Danba County, Ma’erkang City, Li County, and surrounding regions. Under climate change, low-suitability areas and third-level cultivation zones for M. esculenta in the region have increased significantly, while high- and medium-suitability areas, along with first- and second-level cultivation zones, have decreased notably. Concurrently, suitable habitats and cultivation zones exhibit a migration trend toward higher northern latitudes. The most pronounced changes in suitable areas and cultivation zones, as well as the largest niche migration, occur under the high-emission climate scenario. This study facilitates the formulation of suitability-based management strategies for M. esculenta in the upper Dadu River–Minjiang River region and provides a scientific reference for the sustainable utilization of mountain plant resources under climate change. Full article

Morel mushrooms (Morchella spp.), a globally distributed edible and medicinal fungus, possess significant economic and nutritional values. This study investigated rhizosphere soil samples collected from wild Morchella esculenta in three regions of Jilin Province. Metagenome sequencing technology was employed to analyze the structure and function of the rhizosphere microbial communities. The results indicated significant differences in microbial community composition among the samples, with the bacterial community being dominant, followed by the archaeal community. Pseudomonadota and Nitrospirae emerged as the dominant phyla, while Bradyrhizobium and Nitrospira were the co-dominant genera. A correlation analysis of environmental factors revealed that the genera Luteibacter, Streptomyces, Micromonospora, Nocardia, Actinomadura, and Paenibacillus were positively correlated with soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and organic matter content. In contrast, Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus showed a significant positive correlation with rapidly available nutrients. The functional annotation analysis of soil microorganisms, based on the KEGG database, revealed that within level A (highest tier), metabolic activities were the most prominent. In contrast, at level B (secondary tier), global and overview maps, carbohydrate metabolism, and amino acid metabolism were dominant. Among the top 10 pathway-level annotations, metabolic pathways, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments were significant. Environmental factors and KEGG gene network maps indicated that the available potassium, available phosphorus, and pH were closely related to level A genes, which exhibited a higher abundance of metabolism genes. This study was dedicated to deepening the understanding of the structure and function of the rhizosphere microbial community of Morchella esculenta, and providing new perspectives and insights for habitat investigations, the development of biomimetic cultivation techniques, and the domestication of wild strains to Morchella esculenta in Jilin Province. Full article

Morels (Morchella sp.) are important edible fungi cultivated mainly in China. Although the relevant culture technology for Morchella is now fundamentally mature, it is limited to the Elata and Rufobrunnea clades, and the artificial culture technology for the Esculenta clade, which also has economic value, has not been extensively studied. In this study, we selected a wild morel belonging to the Esculenta clade as the research material and performed de novo sequencing and assembly of the Morchella sp. (Mosp) genome using second- and third-generation sequencing. The whole-genome size of Mosp was 55.17 Mb with a contig N50 of 1.89 Mb, and the GC content was 47.49%. A total of 10,896 protein-coding genes were identified. The non-coding RNA prediction results showed that there were 329 tRNAs, 65 rRNAs, and 37 snRNAs in the Mosp genome. The functional annotation of the Mosp genes showed that most of the genes were related to the reproductive and metabolic processes of the cells and participated in nutrient digestion, absorption, utilization, and catabolism in morels. There was a high degree of repetition (21.58%) in the Mosp genome, and the sizes of the DNA transposons and the long terminal repeats were 0.55 Mb and 5.85 Mb, respectively. The phylogeny analysis showed that Mosp clusters together with four other Morchella species: Morchella importuna, Morchella conica, Morchella sextelata, and Morchella snyderi. Molecular dating indicated that the differentiation of Mosp and the black morels group occurred about 147.0 million years ago (MYA). In addition, the evolutionary analysis showed that 296 gene families were contracted and 96 gene families were expanded in Mosp versus the related morel species. The results of this study provide new insights into the genome evolution of Mosp and lay the foundation for future in-depth research into the molecular biology and breeding of the genus Morchella. Full article

True morels (Morchella spp.) are highly valuable and medicinal mushrooms. Saprophytic morels have been cultivated, especially in China and some Western countries, over the last few decades. Türkiye has a rich potential in terms of wild morel diversity, with nearly 40 Morchella species in its genetic pool, though only 22 of these have been identified molecularly. It has high economic value worldwide, and Türkiye exports morels worth approximately 2 million $ annually. There is also significant interest in morel mushroom cultivation in Türkiye. In this study, 40 Morchella strains were collected and isolated from different regions of Türkiye and analyzed based on the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) region. A phylogenetic dendrogram was drawn. The isolates of M. importuna, M. exima, M. exuberans, M. dunali, M. tridentina, M. crassipes, and M. esculenta were identified based on the ITS rDNA region. However, the identification of isolates 849-Kg027 and 966-Kg142 could not be determined clearly, and the isolates of M. vulgarius and M. spongiola were not distinct based on the ITS analysis. The macro-morphological features of the mycelia were investigated. Mycelia colors ranged from off-white to pale gray in the juvenile stage, orange to pale brown during early pigmentation, and pale brown to dark brown in the senescence stage. M. crassipes, M. exuberans, and 966-Kg142 formed lighter-colored mycelia, whereas M. dunali and M. vulgarius exhibited the darkest mycelial pigments. Sclerotia formation was compact, pale yellow to yellow, and abundant. In conclusion, molecular identification of Turkish morel cultures was performed, and cultural characteristics along with morphological differences were examined. The cultures have been deposited for further study in the Mushroom Gene Bank at the Atatürk Central Horticultural Research Institute. Full article

Morchella esculenta is a precious edible and medicinal fungus rich in protein, polysaccharides, polyphenols, amino acids, triterpenes, and other active components. In this study, MS-1 was isolated from the fruiting body of M. esculenta. Through conducting single-factor experiments and the response surface analysis of the culture conditions, the optimal culture components of an M. esculenta fermentation broth for extracellular polysaccharide production were determined, namely, 3.7% glucose, 2% yeast extract, and 0.15% sodium chloride. The polysaccharides MSF and MSL were extracted from the fruiting body of M. esculenta and the fermentation broth, respectively, and analyzed with gel permeation chromatography (GPC), monosaccharide composition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and in vivo and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity analyses. The research results show that the calculated MW of MSF is 2.34 × 10⁵ Da, and the calculated MW of MSL is 1.40 × 10⁵ Da. MSF is composed of three monosaccharides: D-galactose, D-glucose, and D-mannose (molar ratio of 4.34:90.22:5.45). MSL consists of five monosaccharides: D-arabinose, D-galactose, D-glucose, D-mannose, and glucuronic acid (molar ratio of 0.31:14.71:13.03:71.43:0.53). The in vitro antioxidant test results show that MSF and MSL both have significant antioxidant activities. Activity experiments on MSF and MSL in zebrafish showed that MSF and MSL have significant repair effects on the oxidative damage caused by metronidazole in zebrafish embryos, and there were significant changes in the transcriptional activity levels of the oxidative stress-related genes SOD, Keap1, and Nrf2. Therefore, the polysaccharides MSF and MSL from MS-1 can be used as important raw materials for functional foods and drugs. Full article

Mushrooms play a crucial role in human life as well as in nature, providing food, medicine, and carrying out vital processes of decomposition, nutrient recycling, and developing mycorrhizal association with plants. The traditional system of knowledge about identification, collection, and usage of mushrooms has been accumulated through the shared experiences of many generations. Unfortunately, there have been continuous threats to the folk knowledge of mushrooms mainly due to habitat degradation, urbanization, and contemporary medication. The current research was, therefore, aimed to document an ethnomycological knowledge possessed by the ethnic communities of Swat, Pakistan. The purposive randomized sampling was carried out using chain referral method. Ethno-mycological information was collected from 62 informants using free listing, preference ranking, and use totaled methods. In total, 34 species of mushrooms belonging to 31 genera and 21 families were reported. About 85% of the reported species belong to Basidiomycetes, and 12.5% to Ascomycetes are used as food and for medicinal purposes. Morchella angusticeps, M. esculenta, Pleurotus sp., Auricularia sp., Flammulina velutipes, Agaricus bisporus, Ganoderma lucidum, and Sanghuangporus sanghuang were among the most cited edible and medicinal mushrooms. The current study revealed that district Swat is rich in wild edible and medicinal mushrooms (WEMs), and the local communities possess rich traditional knowledge about their collection, storage, and utilization. The diversity of WEMs of this region could contribute substantially to the socio-economic uplifting of the local communities through appropriate domestication and commercialization. Anthropogenic factors, coupled with depletion of traditional knowledge, threaten the diversity of WEMs in the region; therefore, in situ and ex situ conservation strategies are highly recommended. Full article

Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers., referred to as Morel, is a medicinal and edible homologous fungus, which contains many bioactive substances. In Morel, polysaccharides are the most abundant and have various bioactivities. In the present work, two novel polysaccharides, Se-MPS and MPS, were prepared and purified from selenium-enriched (Se-enriched) and common Morel mycelia, respectively, and their structural and immunomodulatory properties were evaluated. The results show that Se-enriched treatment significantly changed the polysaccharides’ chemical composition, molecular weight, and sugar chain configuration. In addition, the Se-enriched treatment also improved the polysaccharides’ fragmentation and thermal stability. Importantly, Se-enriched Morel polysaccharide (Se-MPS) could significantly enhance phagocytosis of RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and, remarkably, activate their immune response via activating the TLR4-TRAF6-MAPKs-NF-κB cascade signaling pathway, finally exerting an immunomodulatory function. Based on these findings, selenium-enriched Morel polysaccharide appears to have more potential for development and utilization in functional foods or medicines than ordinary Morel polysaccharide. Full article

Morchella esculenta is an edible mushroom with special flavor and high nutritional value for humans, primarily owing to its polysaccharide constituents. M. esculenta polysaccharides (MEPs) possess remarkable pharmaceutical properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-atherogenic activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential of MEPs. In vitro activity was determined using free radical scavenging assays, whereas in vivo activity was evaluated through dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced liver injury in mice with acute colitis. MEPs effectively scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-azinobis-6-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline sulfonic acid) free radicals in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, DSS-induced mice showed severe liver damage, cellular infiltration, tissue necrosis, and decreased antioxidant capacity. In contrast, intragastric administration of MEPs showed hepatoprotective effects against DSS-induced liver injury. MEPs remarkably elevated the expression levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. Additionally, it decreased malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase levels in the liver. These results indicate that the protective effects of MEP against DSS-induced hepatic injury could rely on its ability to reduce oxidative stress, suppress inflammatory responses, and improve antioxidant enzyme activity in the liver. Therefore, MEPs could be explored as potential natural antioxidant agents in medicine or as functional foods to prevent liver injury. Full article

Highland barley was fermented with Cordyceps militaris, Stropharia rugoso-annulata, Morchella esculenta, Schizophyllum commune and Tremella sanguinea. The flavor profiles were investigated by electronic nose (E-nose), headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and sensory evaluation by train panel. Fermentation with mushroom mycelium was able to change the aroma profile of highland barley. The original strong grassy taste was reduced due to a decrease in hexanal, decanal and 2-pentylfuran, and new aromatic flavors (floral, sweet and mushroom fragrance) were acquired after fermentation. The overall flavor of the fermented highland barley varied with mushroom strains. Schizophyllum commune gave a heavier sour taste to the fermented highland barley. However, fermentation with T. sanguinea increased the content of methyl 4-methoxybenzoate making the sample difficult to accepted. Fermentation with C. militaris, M. esculenta, and S. rugoso-annulata increased the volatile contents. The high levels of 1-octen-3-ol and esters gave a strong mushroom, oily and fruity flavor. Morchella esculenta showed the best performance and the highest acceptance in the fermented highland barley. Our results suggest that fermentation with mushroom mycelium can improve the flavor of highland barley, which provides an innovative utilization of highland barley. Full article

True morels (Morchella) are a well-known edible fungi, with economically and medicinally important values. However, molecular identification and species taxonomy of the genus Morchella have long been controversial, due to numerous intermediate morphologies among species. In this study, we determined the identification efficiency of DNA barcoding and species classification of 260 individuals from 45 Morchella species, on the basis of multiple nuclear DNA markers. DNA barcoding analysis showed that the individual DNA fragment has a lower resolution of species identification than that of combined multiple DNA markers. ITS showed the highest level of species discrimination among the individual genetic markers. Interestingly, the combined DNA markers significantly increased the resolution of species identification. A combination of four DNA genes (EF1-α, RPB1, RPB2 and ITS) showed a higher species delimitation than that any combination of two or three markers. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the species in genus Morchella could have been divided into two large genetic clades, the Elata Clade and Esculenta Clade lineages. The two lineages divided approximately 133.11 Mya [95% HPD interval: 82.77–197.95] in the early Cretaceous period. However, some phylogenetic species of Morchella showed inconsistent evolutionary relationships with the traditional morphological classifications, which may have resulted from incomplete lineage sorting and/or introgressive hybridization among species. These findings demonstrate that the interspecific gene introgression may have affected the species identification of true morels, and that the combined DNA markers significantly improve the resolution of species discrimination. Full article

Morchella esculenta (ME), or “true” morel mushrooms, are one of the most expensive mushrooms. M. esculenta contain all the important nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and several bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, organic acids, polyphenolic compounds, and tocopherols, which are promising for antioxidant, immunomodulation, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory applications. However, the M. esculenta fruiting body is difficult to collect in nature and the quality is not always reliable. For this reason, the cultivation of its mycelia represents a useful alternative for large-scale production. However, for M. esculenta mycelia to be used as an innovative food ingredient, it is very important to prove it is safe for human consumption while providing high-quality nutrients. Hence, for the first time in this study, the nutritional composition, as well as 90 days of oral toxicity of fermented ME mycelia in Sprague Dawley rats, is examined. Results showed that the ME mycelia contained 4.20 ± 0.49% moisture, 0.32 ± 0.07% total ash, 17.17 ± 0.07% crude lipid, 39.35 ± 0.35% crude protein, 38.96 ± 4.60% carbohydrates, and 467.77 ± 0.21 kcal/100 g energy, which provides similar proportions of macronutrients as the U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes recommend. Moreover, forty male and female Sprague Dawley rats administrating ME mycelia at oral doses of 0, 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg/kg for 90 days showed no significant changes in mortality, clinical signs, body weight, ophthalmology, and urinalysis. Although there were alterations in hematological and biochemical parameters, organ weights, necropsy findings, and histological markers, they were not considered to be toxicologically significant. Hence, the results suggest that the no-observed-adverse-effects level (NOAEL) of ME mycelia was greater than 3000 mg/kg/day and can therefore be used safely as a novel food at the NOAEL. Full article

Recently, the production of macro-fungi (mushrooms) has steadily increased, and so has their economic value, in global terms. The use of functional foods, dietary supplements, and traditional medicines derived from macro-fungi is increasing as they have numerous health benefits as well as abundant nutrients. This study aimed to determine some biochemical contents (pH, soluble solid contents (SSC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total phenolic contents (TPC)) of eight edible macro-fungi species growing naturally (in the wild) in Turkey. The samples were collected in the Van Yuzuncu Yil University (VAN YYU) campus area in the months of April–May 2018, in different locations, and brought to the laboratory, and the necessary mycological techniques were applied for their identification. Location, habitats, collection dates and some morphological measurements were determined for all identified species. Biochemical parameters of the macro-fungi species were analyzed separately both in cap and stem. The color values (L, a, b, Chroma and hue) were separately evaluated on cap surface, cap basement and stem. Results showed that there were significant differences for most of the biochemical parameters in different organs between and within species. The pH, SSC, TAC and TPC values varied from 6.62 to 8.75, 2.25 to 5.80° brix, 15.72 to 57.67 TE mg⁻¹ and 13.85 to 60.16 gallic acid equivalent (GAE) fresh weight basis. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the parameters such as total antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and soluble content in Morchella esculenta, Helvella leucopus, Agaricus bitorquis and Suillus collinitus were higher than for the other species and clearly implied that they may be further exploited as functional ingredients in the composition of innovative food products. Full article

Mushroom polysaccharides are active medicinal compounds that possess immune-modulatory and anticancer properties. Currently, the mushroom polysaccharides krestin, lentinan, and polysaccharopeptides are used as anticancer drugs. They are an unexplored source of natural products with huge potential in both the medicinal and nutraceutical industries. The northern parts of Pakistan have a rich biodiversity of mushrooms that grow during different seasons of the year. Here we selected an edible Morchella esculenta (true morels) of the Ascomycota group for polysaccharide isolation and characterization. Polysaccharopeptides and polysaccharides from this mushroom were isolated using the green chemistry, hot water treatment method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the sugar nature and possible beta-glucan type structure of these polysaccharides. Antioxidant assays showed that the deproteinized polysaccharides have moderate free radical scavenging activity. These isolated polysaccharides exhibited good acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyryl cholinesterase (BChE) inhibition activities. Therefore, these polysaccharides may be valuable for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Further bioassays are needed to discover the true potential of M. esculenta polysaccharides for medicinal purposes. Full article

The current study on the traditional use of medicinal plants was carried out from February 2018 to March 2020, in Gokand Valley, District Buner, Pakistan. The goal was to collect, interpret, and evaluate data on the application of medicinal plants. Along with comprehensive notes on individual plants species, we calculated Use Value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Use Report (UR), Fidelity Level (FL), Informant Consensus Factor (FCI), as well as Family Importance Value (FIV). During the current study, a total of 109 species belonging to 64 families were reported to be used in the treatment of various ailments. It included three families (four species) of Pteridophytes, 58 families (99 species) of angiosperm, one family (three species) of Gymnosperms, and two families (three species) of fungi. The article highlights the significance of domestic consumption of plant resources to treat human ailments. The UV varied from 0.2 (Acorus calamus L.) to 0.89 (Acacia modesta Wall.). The RFC ranged from 0.059 (Acorus calamus L. and Convolvulus arvensis L.) to 0.285 (Acacia modesta Wall.). The species with 100% FL were Acacia modesta Wall. and the fungus Morchella esculenta Fr., while the FCI was documented from 0 to 0.45 for gastro-intestinal disorders. The conservation ranks of the medicinal plant species revealed that 28 plant species were vulnerable, followed by rare (25 spp.), infrequent (17 spp.), dominant (16 spp.), and 10 species endangered. The traditional use of plants needs conservation strategies and further investigation for better utilization of natural resources. Full article

Recently, consumption of the gyromitrin-containing neurotoxic mushroom Gyromitra sp. (false morel), as gourmet food was hypothesized to play a role in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genesis. The present review analyses recent data on edibility and toxicity of false and true morels and Agaricus spp. Controversy about the toxic status of Gyromitra esculenta was due to variable toxin susceptibility within consumers. We suggest that Verpa bohemica, another false morel, is also inedible. We found a temporary neurological syndrome (NS) with cerebellar signs associated with high consumption of fresh or dried true morels Morchella sp. After ingestion of crude or poorly cooked fresh or dried morels, a gastrointestinal “haemolytic” syndrome was also observed. Agaritine, a water soluble hydrazinic toxin closely related to gyromitrin is present along with metabolites including diazonium ions and free radicals, in Agaricus spp. and A. bisporus, the button mushroom, and in mice after ingestion. It is a potential weak carcinogen in mice, but although no data are available for humans, a lifetime low cumulative extra cancer risk in humans can be estimated to be about 10⁻⁵. To conclude, a safety measure is to avoid consuming any true morels or button mushrooms when crude or poorly cooked, fresh or dried. Full article