INFLUENCE OF THICK EXTRACT FROM MAITAKE MUSHROOMS ON SIGNS OF INFLAMMATORY PROCESS IN EXPERIMENTAL TOXIC HEPATITIS

Background. The priority of the contemporary pharmaceutical industry is to create effective, safe and inexpensive drugs to ensure the highest quality of care and optimal use of available raw materials. Objective. The aim of our study was to investigate anti-inflammatory properties of the Maitake mushrooms thick extract in the experiment on rats with paracetamol(acetaminophen)-induced hepatitis. Methods. 60 white male rats, weighing 180-210 g, randomized into 10 groups of 6 animals in each, were used for the experiment. Paracetamol hepatitis was simulated by acetaminophen intragastric administering in a dose of 1250 mg/kg 1 time per day (for 2 days) as a suspension in 2% starch gel solution. Maitake mushrooms thick extract, which was administered intragastrically 2 hours before the administration of acetaminophen and daily after the lesion in a dose of 150 mg/kg of the animal’s body weight, was used for the toxic lesion correction. “Silibor” was selected as the comparison drug, which was administered according to the same scheme as the investigated extract in a dose of 20 mg/kg of the animal’s body weight. Euthanasia was conducted on the 3rd, 7th and 10th day of the experiment with sodium barbamyl. Liver homogenate and animal serum were used for the studies. The development of inflammatory processes was studied by the content of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, as well as C-reactive protein in the serum of rats with toxic hepatitis and after the application of Maitake mushroom extract and the comparison drug. Results. It was found that the introduction of acetaminophen to animals for the acute hepatitis simulation is accompanied by changes in the cytokine profile, i.e. an increase in the level of IL-6 and a decrease in the level of IL-4 in the serum of rats. Inflammatory development is evidenced by the content of C-reactive protein increase in the blood of the affected animals. The application of Maitake mushroom extract facilitated bringing the studied indicators almost to the level of intact control. Conclusions. Reduction of inflammation signs in rats with the simulated paracetamol hepatitis under the influence of Maitake mushrooms thick extract confirms its anti-inflammatory properties. Objective. The aim of our study was to investigate anti-inflammatory properties of the Maitake mushrooms thick extract in the experiment on rats with paracetamol(acetaminophen)-induced hepatitis. Methods. 60 white male rats, weighing 180-210 g, randomized into 10 groups of 6 animals each, were used for the experiment. Paracetamol hepatitis was simulated by acetaminophen intragastric administering in a dose of 1250 mg/kg 1 time per day (for 2 days) as a suspension in 2% starch gel solution. Maitake mushrooms thick extract, which was administered intragastrically 2 hours before the administration of acetaminophen and daily after the lesion in a dose of 150 mg/kg of the animal’s body weight, was used for the toxic lesion correction. "Silibor" was selected as the comparison drug, which was administered according to the same scheme like the investigated extract in a dose of 20 mg/kg of the animal’s body weight. Euthanasia was conducted on the 3rd, 7th and 10th day of the experiment with sodium barbamyl using. Liver homogenate and animal serum were used for the studies. The development of inflammatory processes was studied by the content of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, as well as C-reactive protein in the serum of rats with toxic hepatitis and after the application of Maitake mushroom extract and the comparison drug. Results. It was found that the introduction of acetaminophen to animals for the acute hepatitis simulation is accompanied by changes in the cytokine profile, namely, an increase in the level of IL-6 and a decrease in the level of IL-4 in the serum of rats. The inflammatory process development is evidenced by the content of C-reactive protein increasing in the blood of affected animals. The application of Maitake mushroom extract helped to bring the studied indicators closer to the level of intact control. Conclusions. The application of the Maitake mushrooms thick extract as a corrective factor at the simulated paracetamol hepatitis confirms its anti-inflammatory properties. KEYWORDS: Maitake mushrooms, paracetamol, hepatitis, inflammatory processes, thick extract, anti-inflammatory properties.

Effect of Different Substrate Mixtures on Volatile Aroma Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Maitake Mushroom

In the present study, it was aimed to determine the volatile aroma composition and antioxidant activity of Maitake mushroom grown in different substrate mixtures comparatively. Five different substrate mixtures except control were prepared. Total polyphenols and antioxidant activities were specified by Folin-Ciocalteu, FRAP and DPPH methods. Furthermore, analyzes were carried out in both dried and frozen samples. Head Space Solid Phase Micro Extraction technique combined with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was used in the analysis of volatile compounds. In the present study, yield was obtained only from S4 (oak sawdust + wheat stalk + bran at 1:1:1 ratios) and S5 (poplar sawdust + wheat stalk + bran at 1:1:1 ratios) growing mixtures. Therefore, the studies have been continued by comparing only these two mixtures. While the yield in S4 mixture was 55.02 g 1 kg bag-1, it was determined as 124.82 g 1 kg bag-1 in S5 mixture. DPPH analysis results of frozen and dried samples were 7.99±0.08 and 8.19±0.05 µmol TE g-1 DM (S4) and 8.07±0.09 and 8.20±0.06 µmol TE g DM-1 (S5) respectively. In volatile aroma profile analysis, 22 and 32 compounds were detected in S4 and S5, respectively. Ketones were the most found compound groups and its ratio was 68.67% in S4 and 52.37% in S5. The highest percentage among ketones was obtained from 4-nonanone and 3-octanone compounds.

Can Medicinal Mushrooms Fight Against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19?

The power of mushrooms as medicine was recognized nearly two thousand years ago. They are nature’s miniature pharmaceutical factories, rich in a vast array of novel constituents and wide open for exploration. Reishi mushroom also called “the mushroom of immortality” yields miraculous health benefits and contains over 400 bioactive compounds, which have a number of medicinal effects. Medicinal Basidiomycetes mushrooms (including reishi mushroom, almond mushroom, pom-pom mushroom, and maitake mushroom) are usually consumed in China, Japan, Thailand, and Korea as immune response modifiers for prevention of cancer, or as nutritional support during chemotherapy, and for chronic inflammatory conditions such as hepatitis and other diseases. Presently medicinal mushrooms are mainly used as dietary supplements or functional food. Special precautions should be there, like cooking procedure, amount to consume, source of collection, and most importantly hypersensitivity (allergy) of individual person before consumption. Nevertheless, they have the potential to become real drugs from medicinal plants. Also, to explore them as dietary supplements, preclinical and clinical trials, and legal authorization are necessary.

Induction Effect to Apoptosis by Maitake Polysaccharide: Synergistic Effect of Its Combination With Vitamin C in Neuroglioma Cell

Polysaccharide extracted from the Maitake mushroom (MP) is considered as a potential anticancer agent. The present study was performed to investigate the cytotoxic effects of MP and vitamin C (VC) alone and in combination on the viability of human neuroglioma M059 K cells in vitro. A combination of MP (1.0 mg/mL) and VC (0.4 mmol/L) led to a 53.10% reduction in cell viability and this treatment induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and apoptosis occurred in 38.54% of the cells. Results of Hoechst 33258 staining and Western blot showed apoptotic cells appeared and changes in the expression of apoptosis-related proteins (upregulation of Bax and caspase-3, downregulation of Bcl-2, and activation of poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase). Moreover, the activities of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 were enhanced in M059 K cells. The inhibiting effect of combined treatment with MP and VC on M059 K cells indicates the mechanism of anticancer activity involved induction of cell apoptosis.