Polysaccharides from Agaricus bisporus and Agaricus brasiliensis show similarities in their structures and their immunomodulatory effects on human monocytic THP-1 cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mushroom polysaccharides have traditionally been used for the prevention and treatment of a multitude of disorders like infectious illnesses, cancers and various autoimmune diseases. Crude mushroom extracts have been tested without detailed chemical analyses of its polysaccharide content. For the present study we decided to chemically determine the carbohydrate composition of semi-purified extracts from 2 closely related and well known basidiomycete species, i.e. <it>Agaricus bisporus </it>and <it>A. brasiliensis </it>and to study their effects on the innate immune system, in particular on the <it>in vitro </it>induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, using THP-1 cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Mushroom polysaccharide extracts were prepared by hot water extraction and precipitation with ethanol. Their composition was analyzed by GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy. PMA activated THP-1 cells were treated with the extracts under different conditions and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines was evaluated by qPCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Semi-purified polysaccharide extracts of <it>A. bisporus </it>and <it>A. brasiliensis </it>(= <it>blazei</it>) were found to contain (1→6),(1→4)-linked α-glucan, (1→6)-linked β-glucan, and mannogalactan. Their proportions were determined by integration of ¹H-NMR signs, and were considerably different for the two species. <it>A. brasiliensis </it>showed a higher content of β-glucan, while <it>A. bisporus </it>presented mannogalactan as its main polysaccharide. The extracts induced a comparable increase of transcription of the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes IL-1β and TNF-α as well as of COX-2 in PMA differentiated THP-1 cells. Pro-inflammatory effects of bacterial LPS in this assay could be reduced significantly by the simultaneous addition of <it>A. brasiliensis </it>extract.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The polysaccharide preparations from the closely related species <it>A. bisporus </it>and <it>A. brasiliensis </it>show major differences in composition: <it>A. bisporus </it>shows high mannogalactan content whereas <it>A. brasiliensis </it>has mostly β-glucan. Semi-purified polysaccharide extracts from both <it>Agaricus </it>species stimulated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and enzymes, while the polysaccharide extract of <it>A. brasiliensis </it>reduced synthesis of these cytokines induced by LPS, suggesting programmable immunomodulation.</p

Medium Selection for Exopolysaccharide and Biomass Production in Submerged Cultures of Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms from Turkey

The present study investigates the exopolysaccharide (EPS) and biomass production of 18 strains of 15 species of culinary-medicinal higher Basidiomycetes in submerged culture under four different media. Gloeophyllum abietinum and Schizophyllum commune produced the highest EPS and biomass amounts—3.81 and 14.68 g L-1, respectively—after 5 days of incubation. The other good EPS producers were Pleurotus eryngii (3.69 g L-1) and Ganoderma carnosum D 21 (3.54 g L-1). On the other hand, Trametes versicolor SV 1, Lentinus strigosus, Clavariadelphus truncatus, and Trametes hirsuta yielded relatively higher biomass values, 11.91, 10.54, 10.50, and 10.18 g L-1, respectively. A considerable increase in EPS and biomass production was observed when the mushrooms were grown in liquid culture (LQ) and potato malt peptone (PMP) medium, respectively. The EPS/biomass ratio of Gloeophyllum abietinum on the 5th day in LQ medium was 3.4, which is 3.6, 1.5, and 15.5 times higher than with PMP, YM, and MCM media, respectively. The results suggest that EPS production is not growth associated for the investigated species and strains. This is the first report on EPS production of native higher Basidiomycetes isolates from Turkey

Agaricus Blazei Hot Water Extract Shows Anti Quorum Sensing Activity in the Nosocomial Human Pathogen Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

The edible mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill is known to induce protective immunomodulatory action against a variety of infectious diseases. In the present study we report potential anti-quorum sensing properties of A. blazei hot water extract. Quorum sensing (QS) plays an important role in virulence, biofilm formation and survival of many pathogenic bacteria, including the Gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and is considered as a novel and promising target for anti-infectious agents. In this study, the effect of the sub-MICs of Agaricus blazei water extract on QS regulated virulence factors and biofilm formation was evaluated against P. aeruginosa PAO1. Sub-MIC concentrations of the extract which did not kill P. aeruginosa nor inhibited its growth, demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of virulence factors of P. aeruginosa, such as pyocyanin production, twitching and swimming motility. The biofilm forming capability of P. aeruginosa was also reduced in a concentration-dependent manner at sub-MIC values. Water extract of A. blazei is a promising source of antiquorum sensing and antibacterial compounds.Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development {[}173032

Evaluation of the antigenotoxic effects of the royal sun mushroom, agaricus brasiliensis (Higher basidiomycetes) in human lymphocytes treated with thymol in the comet assay

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the possible protective activity of Agaricus brasiliensis (=A. blazei sensu Murrill) ethanol extract against thymol-induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes. Before we studied the possible interaction of thymol and A. brasiliensis extract, each component was tested in the comet assay. Thymol significantly increased DNA damage in human lymphocytes at higher concentrations (20, 50, 100, 150, and 200 μg/mL), whereas no genotoxic effect of A. brasiliensis ethanol extract was observed. In simultaneous treatment with thymol (200 μg/mL) and A. brasiliensis ethanol extract (50, 100, 150, and 200 μg/mL), the latter failed to reduce a thymol-induced DNA damaging effect regardless of the applied concentrations. To confirm that thymol induces DNA damage via reactive oxygen species, we performed cotreatment with quercetin. Cotreatment with quercetin (100 and 500 μmol/L) significantly reduced DNA damage caused by thymol (200 μg/mL), indicating that thymol exhibits genotoxicity mainly through induction of reactive oxygen species.</p