Suppression of lipopolysaccharide and hydrogen peroxide-induced inflammatory responses in raw 264.7 macrophage by pleurotus giganteus and lignosus rhinocerotis / Asweni a/p Baskaran

Inflammation is the most important host defence mechanism that protects the body against pathogenic challenges. Inflammation has been linked to the pathogenesis of various diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular and cancer. Further, these diseases are currently the leading cause of death among humans. The search for anti-inflammatory food is on-going and the mushrooms are being recognised as nutritional and functional foods that may reduce inflammation. Pleurotus giganteus and Lignosus rhinocerotis are commercially grown in Malaysia. In the present study, the in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity of ethanol and hot aqueous extract of P. giganteus and L. rhinocerotis were evaluated for the ability to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and down regulation of the inflammatory markers. The effects of ethanol extracts of P. giganteus on LPS and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) - induced NO production, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) expression were investigated to correlate inflammation and oxidative stress. The ethanol extract of P. giganteus (EPG) (10 μg/ml) showed the highest reduction of 74.7 % of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophage while ethanol extract of L. rhinocerotis (ELR) (100 μg/ml) showed the highest reduction of 88.51%. Hence, EPG was chosen for the gene expression study as it showed higher reduction at a lower concentration (10 μg/ml) compared to ELR (51.4 %). Further, EPG showed a 2.7 fold down regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and significantly suppressed (p < 0.05) the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 protein (STAT 3) in LPS-stimulated murine RAW 264.7 macrophage. Ethanol extract of P. giganteus (EPG) also exhibited a significant inhibitory (p < 0.05) effect on LPS and H2O2-induced NO production (28.7 %). Ethanol extract of P. giganteus (EPG) showed a 2.4 and 8.5 fold down regulation of the LPS and H2O2-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and GPx expression respectively

Influence of customized cooking methods on the phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of selected species of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.)

Nutritional value of cooked food has been considered to be lower compared to the fresh produce. However, many reports showed that processed fruits and vegetables including mushrooms may retain antioxidant activity. Pleurotus spp. as one of the edible mushroom are in great demand globally and become one of the most popular mushrooms grown worldwide with 25-fold increase in production from 1960–2009. The effects of three different cooking methods (boiling, microwave and pressure cooking) on the antioxidant activities of six different types of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii, P citrinopileatus, P. cystidiosus P. flabellatus, P. floridanus and P. pulmonarius) were assessed. Free radical scavenging (DPPH) and reducing power (TEAC) were used to evaluate the antioxidant activities and the total phenolic contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Pressure cooking improved the scavenging abilities of P. floridanus (>200 %), P. flabellatus (117.6 %), and P. pulmonarius (49.1 %) compared to the uncooked samples. On the other hand, the microwaved Pleurotus eryngii showed 17 % higher in the TEAC value when compared to the uncooked sample. There was, however, no correlation between total phenolic content and antioxidant activities. There could be presence of other bioactive components in the processed mushrooms that may have contributed to the antioxidant activity. These results suggested that customized cooking method can be used to enhance the nutritional value of mushrooms and promote good health

A Status Review of the Bioactive Activities of Tiger Milk Mushroom Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden

Edible and medicinal mushrooms are regularly used in natural medicines and home remedies since antiquity for ailments like fever, inflammation, and respiratory disorders. Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden is a polypore found in Malaysia and other regions in South East Asia. It can be located on a spot where a tigress drips milk while feeding, hence the name “tiger's milk mushroom.” The sclerotium of L. rhinocerotis is highly sought after by the native communities in Malaysia to stave off hunger, relieve cough and asthma, and provide stamina. The genomic features of L. rhinocerotis have been described. The pharmacological and toxicity effects, if any, of L. rhinocerotis sclerotium have been scientifically verified in recent years. In this review, the validated investigations including the cognitive function, neuroprotection, immune modulation, anti-asthmatic, anti-coagulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial/ anti-viral, anti-obesity, anti-cancer/ anti-tumor, and antioxidant properties are highlighted. These findings suggest that L. rhinocerotis can be considered as an alternative and natural medicine in the management of non-communicable diseases. However, there is a paucity of validation studies including human clinical trials of the mycochemicals of L. rhinocerotis