Recent developments in mushrooms as anti-cancer therapeutics: a review

From time immemorial, mushrooms have been valued by humankind as a culinary wonder and folk medicine in Oriental practice. The last decade has witnessed the overwhelming interest of western research fraternity in pharmaceutical potential of mushrooms. The chief medicinal uses of mushrooms discovered so far are as anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, hypocholesterolemic, anti-tumor, anti-cancer, immunomodulatory, anti-allergic, nephroprotective, and anti-microbial agents. The mushrooms credited with success against cancer belong to the genus Phellinus, Pleurotus, Agaricus, Ganoderma, Clitocybe, Antrodia, Trametes, Cordyceps, Xerocomus, Calvatia, Schizophyllum, Flammulina, Suillus, Inonotus, Inocybe, Funlia, Lactarius, Albatrellus, Russula, and Fomes. The anti-cancer compounds play crucial role as reactive oxygen species inducer, mitotic kinase inhibitor, anti-mitotic, angiogenesis inhibitor, topoisomerase inhibitor, leading to apoptosis, and eventually checking cancer proliferation. The present review updates the recent findings on the pharmacologically active compounds, their anti-tumor potential, and underlying mechanism of biological action in order to raise awareness for further investigations to develop cancer therapeutics from mushrooms. The mounting evidences from various research groups across the globe, regarding anti-tumor application of mushroom extracts unarguably make it a fast-track research area worth mass attention

Protection through construction of a wooden monument in Radomlje (Slovenia)

Biodegradation of the wood, photo-degradation of the coatings and major cracks appeared on a six-metre high oak monument built in 1960. Due to three displacements and exposure to increased moisture and pests, the monument lost its original appearance. Damage due to the fixation elements became so extensive that they threatened its load-bearing capacity. During the renovation work, the monument was subjected to original and specific constructional measures and its original appearance was restored. Restoration of the original details allowed water to flow off the monument easily, hence the wood could dry quickly. The weakened and worn parts of the wood were replaced or consolidated. Dilatation between the wood, metal and stone was stopped and further corrosion processes prevented. Restoration of the cracks prevented the entry and retention of water inside. Where this was not achievable, drainage was installed and aeration of the wood was enabled. By means of a central metal mandrel and a supporting system of adjustable bolts, the bearing capacity was improved and, in the event of possible displacements, centring of the monument was made possible. Removing the external fixation elements contributed to the monument’s aesthetics. These innovative construction solutions may represent a model case for the future restoration of similar cultural monuments

Ostreolysin enhances fruiting initiation in the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Fruiting initiation in mushrooms can be triggered by a variety of environmental and biochemical stimuli, including substances of natural or synthetic origin. In this work ostreolysin, a cytolytic protein specifically expressed during the formation of primordia and fruit bodies of Pleurotus ostreatus, was applied to nutrient media inoculated with mycelium of P. ostreatus, and its effects on mycelial growth and fructification of the mushroom studied. The addition of ostreolysin slightly inhibited the growth of mycelium, but strongly induced the formation of primordia, which appeared 10 d earlier than in control plates supplemented with bovine serum albumin or with the dissolving buffer alone. Moreover, ostreolysin stimulated the subsequent development of primordia into fruit bodies. However, direct involvement of this protein in the sporulation of the mushroom is unlikely, as it was also detected in large amounts in the non-sporulating strain of P. ostreatus

Performance of Waterborne Cu(II) Octanoate/Ethanolamine Wood Presevatives

Various aqueous wood preservative solutions containing Cu(II) in the form of copper(II) sulphate or copper(II) octanoate, ethanolamine and in one case octanoic acid were investigated by spectrophotometry, polarography and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Results have shown the same coordination environment around Cu(II) in all solutions with ethanolamine. Computer simulation of the EPR spectra also revealed that the coordination in the first coordination sphere of copper is the same at low concentration of ethanolamine. At 20% ethanolamine concentration, a mixture of two complexes (one with two nitrogens and the other with three) could be detected. The active compound in the investigated ethanolamine containing solutions is the same when previously synthesised copper(II) octanoate was used, or when copper(II) sulphate and octanoic acid were utilized instead. Fungicidal and leaching experiments with the treated wood resulted in the same conclusion: it is not necessary to use pre-synthesised copper(II) octanoate for the preparation of waterborne copper/ethanolamine wood preservatives. Preservative preparation time and costs can be reduced by simply dissolving copper(II) sulphate and octanoic acid in aqueous ethanolamine solutions