Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Five Medicinal Mushrooms of the Genus <i>Pleurotus</i>

Within the group of higher fungi, edible medicinal mushrooms have a long history of being used as food and in folk medicine. These species contain biologically active substances with many potential beneficial effects on human health. The Pleurotus genus is representative of medicinal mushrooms because Pleurotus ostreatus is one of the most commonly cultivated culinary mushrooms. In our study, we focused on lesser-known species in the genus Pleurotus and measured their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. We prepared extracts of the mushrooms and analyzed them using HPLC−HRMS, GC−MS, and 1H-NMR. Significant differences in biological activities were found among the Pleurotus spp. extracts. A MeOH extract of P. flabellatus was the most active as a radical scavenger with the highest ORAC, while a chloroform extract had significant anti-inflammatory COX-2 activity. The 80% MeOH extract of P. flabellatus contained the highest amounts of ergosterol, ergothioneine, and mannitol. The 80% MeOH extract of P. ostreatus Florida was the most active in the NF-κB inhibition assay and had the highest content of β-glucans (43.3% by dry weight). Given the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of P. flabellatus, the potential therapeutic usefulness of this species is worth evaluating through in-depth investigations and confirmation by clinical trials

Distribution of neutrons and protons in elongated targets

Analysis of neutron distribution was carried out for two elongated targets. The targets have cylindrical shape and are made of lead and carbon, respectively. The dimensions are approximately one meter in length and 19 cm in diameter. The targets were irradiated with 660 MeV proton beam at Phasotron accelerator at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The total number of protons was 2.35(18)E15 for the experiment with carbon target and the total number of particles at the second experiment was 2.32(19)E15. The produced neutron field was monitored by cobalt threshold activation detectors at various positions. The activation detectors were measured by means of gamma spectroscopy using HPGe detectors. Reaction rates of different radionuclides produced in the activation detectors were determined and the results from both experiments were compared. The ratios were calculated for 7 reactions produced in cobalt detectors. The ratio of the reaction rates shows that the number of residual nuclei with higher threshold energies is higher for experiment with carbon target than for the experiment with the lead target