Search Results (11)

Polypore mushrooms have been widely recognized for centuries for their use in food and medicine due to their strong capacity to produce numerous biomolecules with beneficial effects on human health. Fomes fomentarius is one such species that remains poorly explored, particularly when growing in Morocco. Herein, this study aimed to characterize the bioactive compounds of F. fomentarius and evaluate its pharmacological properties. Spectrophotometric analysis showed that F. fomentarius revealed high levels of total phenolics (75.83 mg GAE/g dme) and flavonoids (37.62 mg CE/g dme). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis identified 109 volatile and non-volatile compounds, primarily sugars (24), fatty acids (23), alcohols (10), organic acids (9), and terpenoids (6). In addition, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis allowed the identification of 24 phenolic compounds, with isorhamnetin (2734.00 µg/g), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (409.00 µg/g), and kaempferol (351.10 µg/g) as the most abundant. Regarding pharmacological properties, F. fomentarius extract demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, with the DPPH radical-scavenging assay showing the highest potency, followed by β-carotene bleaching inhibition and ferric ion-reducing power, with EC₅₀ (half maximal effective concentration) values of 114.40, 174.50, and 250.70 µg/mL, respectively. Additionally, it exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against all seven human pathogenic microorganisms, with Epidermophyton floccosum being the most susceptible ((minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)) = 2 mg/mL and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) = 4 mg/mL) and A. fumigatus the most resistant (MIC = 26.67 mg/mL and MFC ≥ 64 mg/mL). Overall, the result indicated that Moroccan F. fomentarius is a rich source of diverse bioactive compounds with potent antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, supporting its potential for various applications. Full article

In response to the growing demand for clean-label preservatives, this study investigates the potential of Laetiporus sulphureus, an edible polypore mushroom, as a multifunctional additive in cooked sausages. The ethanolic extract of L. sulphureus (LsEtOH) was evaluated for its chemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity. Leucine (12.4 ± 0.31 mg/g d.w.) and linoleic acid (68.6%) were identified as the dominant essential amino acid and fatty acid. LsEtOH exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with IC₅₀ values of 215 ± 0.05 µg/mL (DPPH•), 182 ± 0.40 µg/mL (NO•), and 11.4 ± 0.01 µg/mL (OH•), and showed a selective inhibition of Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus (MIC/MBC: 0.31/0.62 mg/mL). In cooked sausages treated with 0.05 mg/kg of LsEtOH, lipid peroxidation was reduced (TBARS: 0.26 mg MDA/kg compared to 0.36 mg MDA/kg in the control), microbial growth was suppressed (33.3 ± 15.2 CFU/g in the treated sample compared to 43.3 ± 5.7 CFU/g in the control group), and color and pH were stabilized over 30 days. A sensory evaluation revealed minor flavor deviations due to the extract’s inherent aroma. Encapsulation and consumer education are recommended to enhance acceptance. This is the first study to demonstrate the efficacy of L. sulphureus extract as a natural preservative in a meat matrix, supporting its application as a clean-label additive for shelf life and safety improvement. Full article

Growing mushrooms means meeting challenges while aiming for sustainability and circularity. Wherever the producer is located, commercial strains are the same originating from several producers. Customized strains adapted to local conditions are urgently needed. Before introducing new species to the strain development pipeline, the chemical characterization and biological activity of wild ones need to be assessed. Accordingly, the mycoceutical potential of five polypore mushroom species from Serbia was evaluated including: secondary metabolite composition, oxidative damage prevention, anti-tyrosinase, and anti-angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). The phenolic pattern was comparable in all samples, but the amounts of specific chemicals varied. Hydroxybenzoic acids were the primary components. All samples had varying quantities of ascorbic acid, carotene, and lycopene, and showed a pronounced inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LPx) and ability to scavenge HO^•. Extracts were more potent tyrosinase inhibitors but unsuccessful when faced with ACE. Fomitopsis pinicola had the strongest anti-tumor efficacy while Ganoderma lucidum demonstrated strong selectivity in anti-tumor effect in comparison to normal cells. The evaluated species provided a solid foundation for commercial development while keeping local ecology in mind. Full article

Ganoderma is a genus of biomedical fungus that is used in the development of numerous health products throughout the world. The Lower Volta River Basin of Ghana is an undulating land surface covered by extensive vegetation and water bodies and is rich in polypore mushrooms resembling various members of the Ganoderma genus. Despite the extensive biopharmaceutical benefits of Ganoderma spp., the isolates from the Lower Volta River Basin have not been properly characterized, thus limiting their use in the development of biotechnological products. In this study, Ganoderma spp. collected from the Lower Volta River Basin were genetically analyzed using the nuclear ribosomal sequences, the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS 2), the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and the nuclear large subunit (nLSU). Blastn search and sequence analysis revealed that the sample we coded as Ganoderma LVRB-2 belongs to G. mbrekobenum, whereas Ganoderma LVRB-1, Ganoderma LVRB-14, and Ganoderma LVRB-16 belong to the species G. enigmaticum. Our analysis further demonstrates that Ganoderma LVRB-17 belongs to the species G. resinaceum. Thus, the five samples collected in the present study were positioned in three different distinct groups, namely G. mbrekobenum, G. enigmaticum, and G. resinaceum. The current data may serve as reference points for future studies. Full article

Fomitopsis officinalis is a holartic polyporous mushroom that forms large fruiting bodies on old standing trees, fallen logs, or stumps. F. officinalis is a medicinal mushroom species that is most commonly used in traditional European medicine. In this study, we explore the spatial metabolic differences in F. officinalis’ mushroom parts, i.e., the cap (median and apical parts) and the hymenium. Additionally, chromatographic analysis was conducted in order to unravel the composition of specialized metabolites in the hydroalcoholic mushroom extracts. The potential antifungal and bacterial effects of extracts were tested against pathogen strains of Gram+ and Gram– bacteria, and yeast, dermatophytic, and fungal-pool species. Extracts from the apical part were the richest in terms of phenolic compounds; consistent with this finding, the extracts were also the most effective antiradical and antimicrobial agents with MIC values < 100 µg/mL for most of the tested bacterial and dermatophytic species. According to these findings, F. officinalis extracts are valuable sources of primary and secondary metabolites, thus suggesting potential applications in the formulation of food supplements with biological properties in terms of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Full article

Many wild edible polypore mushrooms have medicinal value. In this study, we investigate the potential medicinal properties of the wild polypore mushroom Royoporus badius collected from north-central British Columbia, Canada. Water extract from R. badius was found to exhibit potent immunomodulatory activity. The extract was purified using DEAE-Sephadex anion-exchange chromatography as well as Sephacryl S-500 and HPLC BioSEC5 size-exclusion chromatography, to yield a novel polysaccharide-protein complex (IMPP-Rb).IMPP-Rb has a peak maxima molecular weight (M_p) of 950 kDa. GC-MS analyses showed that IMPP-Rb is composed predominantly of glucose (49.2%), galactose (11.3%), mannose (10.8%), rhamnose (9.6%), and galacturonic acid (8.2%), with smaller amounts of xylose (5.2%), fucose (2.8%), N-acetyl glucosamine (1.8%), and arabinose (1.2%). IMPP-Rb has multiple linkages, with 4-Glcp, 4-Manp, 6-Manp, 3,4-Manp, 4-Xylp, and 2-Rhap being the most prominent. IMPP-Rb is capable of inducing many cytokines in vitro and the protein component is indispensable for its immunomodulatory activity. IMPP-Rb has potential application as an immuno-stimulatory agent with pharmaceutical value. Full article

Onnia tomentosa is a widespread root rot pathogen frequently found in coniferous forests in North America. In this study, the potential medicinal properties of this wild polypore mushroom collected from north–central British Columbia, Canada, were investigated. The ethanol extract from O. tomentosa was found to exhibit strong antiproliferative activity. Liquid–liquid extraction and bioactivity-guided fractionation, together with HPLC-MS/MS and 1D/2D NMR analyses of the ethanol extract of O. tomentosa, led to the identification of eight known linoleic oxygenated fatty acids (1.1–1.4 and 2–5), together with linoleic (6) and oleic acids (7). The autoxidation of linoleic acid upon isolation from a natural source and compound 5 as an autoxidation product of linoleic acid are reported here for the first time. GC-FID analysis of O. tomentosa, Fomitopsis officinalis, Echinodontium tinctorium, and Albatrellus flettii revealed linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids as the major fatty acids. This study further showed that fatty acids were the major antiproliferative constituents in the ethanol extract from O. tomentosa. Linoleic acid and oleic acid had IC₅₀ values of 50.3 and 90.4 µM against human cervical cancer cells (HeLa), respectively. The results from this study have implications regarding the future exploration of O. tomentosa as a possible edible and/or medicinal mushroom. It is also recommended that necessary caution be taken when isolating unstable fatty acids from natural sources and in interpreting the results. Full article

The diversity of sporocarp-inhabiting fungi (SCIF) was examined using six samples of xylarialean fungi from two different forests in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan: a moist forest in the Sakuragawa area and an urban dry forest in the Tsukuba area. These fungi were enumerated using direct observation and dilution plate methods. We obtained 44 isolates, and careful morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies of these isolates revealed that approximately 30% of the operating taxonomic units were undescribed or cryptic species related to known fungi. Although typical mycoparasitic fungi, such as helotialean fungi and Trichoderma spp., were not isolated, the genera Acremonium, Acrodontium, and Simplicillium were detected. Comparisons of SCIF communities between the two forests suggested that the number of isolated species in the Sakuragawa area was lower than that in the Tsukuba area. Soil-borne fungi, such as Aspergillus, Beauveria, Penicillium, and Talaromyces, or polypores/corticioid mushrooms, are frequently detected in the Tsukuba area. Factors affecting SCIF communities in the two forests are discussed. Some noteworthy fungi are briefly described with notes on taxonomy, ecology, and molecular phylogeny. Full article

Lignin biodegradation has been extensively studied in white-rot fungi, which largely belong to order Polyporales. Among the enzymes that wood-rotting polypores secrete, lignin peroxidases (LiPs) have been labeled as the most efficient. Here, we characterize a similar enzyme (ApeLiP) from a fungus of the order Agaricales (with ~13,000 described species), the soil-inhabiting mushroom Agrocybe pediades. X-ray crystallography revealed that ApeLiP is structurally related to Polyporales LiPs, with a conserved heme-pocket and a solvent-exposed tryptophan. Its biochemical characterization shows that ApeLiP can oxidize both phenolic and non-phenolic lignin model-compounds, as well as different dyes. Moreover, using stopped-flow rapid spectrophotometry and 2D-NMR, we demonstrate that ApeLiP can also act on real lignin. Characterization of a variant lacking the above tryptophan residue shows that this is the oxidation site for lignin and other high redox-potential substrates, and also plays a role in phenolic substrate oxidation. The reduction potentials of the catalytic-cycle intermediates were estimated by stopped-flow in equilibrium reactions, showing similar activation by H₂O₂, but a lower potential for the rate-limiting step (compound-II reduction) compared to other LiPs. Unexpectedly, ApeLiP was stable from acidic to basic pH, a relevant feature for application considering its different optima for oxidation of phenolic and nonphenolic compounds. Full article

Albino Grifola frondosa (Dicks.) Gray “maitake” mushrooms (described as G. albicans Imazeki and then placed in synonymy with G. frondosa) are particularly rare, and the few pertinent records are not treated in scientific publications. A field investigation carried out in Sicily (Italy) led to the collection of an unusual white Grifola specimen at the base of a living tree of Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. The outcome of sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) indicated that it belongs to G. frondosa and provided an insight to the phylogenetic relationships within the genus. The results of nutritional composition analysis showed that the albino basidioma possesses relatively high contents of Ca, Fe, K, and Cu and is rather low in Na when compared with literature data on edible mushrooms. Vitamin (B₁, B₂, B₃, B₅, B₉, and D₂) contents ranged from 0.15 to 3.89 mg per 100 g of mushroom dry weight. The cold-water extract of this specimen was effective at inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 at the maximum screening concentration of 50% v/v. In addition, the extract slowed down the ability of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 to form biofilms. According to data hereby reported, the albino G. frondosa is a culinary-medicinal mushroom with a promising exploitation potential. Full article

Porous materials derived from natural resources, such as Luffa sponges, pomelo peel and jute fibres, have recently emerged as oil adsorbents for water purification, due to their suitability, low environmental impact, biodegradability and low cost. Here we show, for the first time, that the porosity of the fruiting body of polypore mushrooms can be used to absorb oils and organic solvents while repelling water. We engineered the surface properties of Ganoderma applanatum fungi, of which the fruiting body consists of a regular array of long capillaries embedded in a fibrous matrix, with paraffin wax, octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane. Morphological and wettability analyses of the modified fungus revealed that the OTS treatment was effective in preserving the 3D porosity of the natural material, inducing super-hydrophobicity (water contact angle higher than 150°) and improving oil sorption capacity (1.8–3.1 g/g). The treated fungus was also inserted into fluidic networks as a filtration element, and its ability to separate water from chloroform was demonstrated. Full article