Nuhu Alam

Nutritional Analysis of Cultivated Mushrooms in Bangladesh - Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus sajor-caju, Pleurotus florida and Calocybe indica

Mushroom cultivation has been started recently in Bangladesh. Awareness of the nutritional and medicinal importance of mushrooms is not extensive. In this study, the nutritional values of dietary mushrooms- Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus sajorcaju, Pleurotus florida and Calocybe indica that are very popular among the cultivated mushrooms in Bangladesh have been determined. These mushrooms were rich in proteins (20~25%) and fibers (13~24% in dry samples) and contained a lower amount of lipid (4 to 5%). The carbohydrate contents ranged from 37 to 48% (on the basis of dry weight). These were also rich in mineral contents (total ash content is 8~13%). The pileus and gills were protein and lipid rich and stripe was carbohydrate and fiber-rich. The moisture content of mushrooms ranged from 86 to 87.5%. Data of this study suggest that mushrooms are rich in nutritional value.

Antioxidant and Antityrosinase Activities of Various Extracts from the Fruiting Bodies of Lentinus lepideus

Lentinus lepideus is an edible mushroom currently available in Korea. The acetone, methanol and hot water extracts were prepared and assayed for their antioxidant and antityrosinase inhibitory activities. The hot water extract showed the strongest β-carotene-linoleic acid inhibition compared to the other extracts. At 8 mg/mL, the methanolic extract showed a high reducing power of 1.21. The acetone and methanol extracts were more effective in scavenging DPPH radicals than the hot water extract. The strongest chelating effect was obtained from the methanolic extract. Xanthine oxidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of the acetonic, methanol and hot water extracts increased with increasing concentration. Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, vanillin, naringin, naringenin, formononetin, and biochanin-A were detected in the acetonitrile and hydrochloric acid (5:1) solvent extract. This study suggests that fruiting bodies of L. lepideus can potentially be used as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidants.

Comparative effects of oyster mushrooms on lipid profile, liver and kidney function in hypercholesterolemic rats.

Abstract Comparative effects of oyster mushrooms on plasma and fecal lipid profiles and on liver and kidney function were evaluated in hyper and normoeholesterolemie rats. Feeding of hypercholesterolemic rats a 5% powder of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus, P. sajor-caju and P. florida) reduced the plasma total cholesterol level by 37%, 21% and 16%, respectively and reduced the triglyceride level by 45%, 24% and 14%, respectively. LDL/HDL ratio decreased by 64%, 45% and 41% for P. sajor-caju, P. ostreatus and P. florida fed rats, respectively. Mushroom feeding also reduced body weight in hypereholesterolemie rats. However, it had no adverse effect on plasma bilirubin, ereatinin and urea nitrogen level. Mushroom feeding also increased the total lipid and cholesterol excretion in the feces. The present study reveals that feeding of 5% oyster mushroom powder does not have detrimental effects on the liver and kidneys rather may provide health benefits for the cardiovascular-related complication by decreasing the atherogenic lipid profiles.

Evaluation of the antioxidant and antityrosinase activities of three extracts from Pleurotus nebrodensis fruiting bodies

Pleurotus nebrodensis has been widely used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activities and tyrosinase inhibitory effects on the fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis extracted with acetone, methanol and hot water. The antioxidant activities were performed on - carotene-linoleic acid, reducing power, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferrous ions chelating abilities and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity. In addition to this, phenolic compounds were also detected. The acetonic and methanolic extracts of P. nebrodensis showed the strongest -carotene-linoleic acid inhibition as compare to hot water extract. At 8 mg/ml, the acetonic extract showed a high reducing power of 1.86. The scavenging activity on DPPH radicals, the acetonic and methanolic extracts were effective than that of hot water extract. At lower concentrations, chelating effect of tested mushroom was significantly effective as compare to positive control. Gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, naringenin, hesperetin, formononetin and biochanin-A were detected from acetonitrile and hydrochloric acid solvent extract. The xanthine oxidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of the acetonic, methanolic and hot water extracts increased with increase of concentration. This study suggests that fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis can potentially be used as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidants. Key words: Antioxidant, phenolic compounds, Pleurotus nebrodensis, tyrosinase inhibition, xanthine oxidase.

Anticancer and Immunopotentiating Activities of Crude Polysaccharides from Pleurotus nebrodensis on Mouse Sarcoma 180

Pleurotus nebrodensis is an edible and commercially available mushroom in Korea. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the anticancer and immunopotentiating activities of crude polysaccharides, extracted in methanol, neutral saline, and hot water (hereafter referred to as Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW, respectively) from the fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis. β-Glucan and protein contents in Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW extracts of P. nebrodensis ranged from 23.79~36.63 g/100 g and 4.45~6.12 g/100 g, respectively. Crude polysaccharides were not cytotoxic against sarcoma 180, HT-29, NIH3T3, and RAW 264.7 cell lines at a range of 10~2,000 μg/mL. Intraperitoneal injection with crude polysaccharides resulted in a life prolongation effect of 11.76~27.06% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma 180. Treatment with Fr. NaCl resulted in an increase in the numbers of spleen cells by 1.49 fold at the concentration of 50 μg/mL, compared with control. Fr. HW improved the immuno-potentiating activity of B lymphocytes through an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.65 fold, compared with control at 200 μg/mL. Maximum production of nitric oxide (14.3 μM) was recorded in the Fr. NaCl fraction at 200 μg/mL. Production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly higher, compared to control, and IL-6 production was highest, in contrast to TNF-α, IL-1β, and positive control, concanavalin at the tested concentration of the various fractions. Results of the current study suggest that polysaccharides extracted from P. nebrodensis have a strong anticancer effect and may be useful as an ingredient of biopharmaceutical products for treatment of cancer.

Appraisal of Antihyperlipidemic Activities of Lentinus lepideus in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Abstract The wild edible mushroom, Lentinus lepideus has recently been cultivated for commercial use in Korea. While the mushroom has been widely used for nutritional and medicinal purposes, the possible anti-hyperlipidemic action is unclear. The effects of dietary L. lepideus on plasma and feces biochemical and on the liver histological status were investigated in hypercholesterolemic rats. Six-wk-old female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 10 rats each. Bio-chemical and histological examinations were performed. A diet containing 5% L. lepideus fruiting bodies reduced plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, total lipid, phospholipids, and the ratio of low-density to high-density lipoprotein. Body weight was reduced. The diet did not adversely affect plasma biochemical and enzyme profiles. L. lepideus reduced significantly plasma β- and pre-β-lipoprotein, while α-lipoprotein content was increased. A histological study of hepatic cells by conventional hematoxylin-eosin and oil red O staining revealed normal findings for mushroom-fed hyper-cholesterolemic rats. The present study suggests that a diet supplemented with L. lepideus can provide health benefits by acting on the atherogenic lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats.

Influence of Different Supplements on the Commercial Cultivation of Milky White Mushroom

Calocybe indica, known as milky white mushroom, grows and cultivated in the sub-tropical and temperate zones of South Asia. We investigated the most suitable supplements and their levels for the commercial cultivation of milky white mushroom. Rice bran, maize powder, and wheat bran with their different levels (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50%) were used as supplements to evaluate the yield and yield contributing characteristics of C. indica. Primordia initiation was observed between 13.5 and 19.3 days. The results indicated that the 30% maize powder supplement was effective for producing viable fruiting bodies. The maximum diameters of the pileus and stalk were observed with 30% maize powder. The highest biological and economic yield and biological efficiency were also obtained with 30% maize powder as a supplement. The results indicate that increasing the supplement level resulted in less biological efficiency, and that 30% maize powder was the best supplement level for rice straw substrate to cultivate milky white mushrooms.

Effect of Different Substrates and Casing Materials on the Growth and Yield of Calocybe indica

Abstract Calocybe indica, a tropical edible mushroom, is popular because it has good nutritive value and it can be cultivated commercially. The current investigation was undertaken to determine a suitable substrate and the appropriate thickness of casing materials for the cultivation of C. indica. Optimum mycelial growth was observed in coconut coir substrate. Primordia initiation with the different substrates and casing materials was observed between the 13th and 19th day. The maximum length of stalk was recorded from sugarcane leaf, while diameter of stalk and pileus, and thickness of pileus were found in rice straw substrate. The highest biological and economic yield, and biological efficiency were also obtained in the rice straw substrate. Cow dung and loamy soil, farm-yard manure, loamy soil and sand, and spent oyster mushroom substrates were used as casing materials to evaluate the yield and yield-contributing characteristics of C. indica. The results indicate that the number of effective fruiting bodies, the biological and economic yield, and the biological efficiency were statistically similar all of the casing materials used. The maximum biological efficiency was found in the cow dung and loamy soil casing material. The cow dung and loamy soil (3 cm thick) was the best casing material and the rice straw was the best substrate for the commercial cultivation of C. indica

Genetic Diversity and Phylogenetic Relationship in Korean Strains of Lentinus lepideus Based on PCR Polymorphism

Lentinus lepideus, known as train wrecker fungus, has been used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. Recently, commercial cultivation technique and a new cultivar of the mushroom were developed. To investigate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship for identifying the mushroom strains and cultivar, one commercial and 13 strains of Lentinus lepideus from different geographical regions of Korea were analyzed by ITS regions of rDNA and RAPD of genomic DNA. Three strains of Lentinus edodes were also used for the analysis. The size of the ITS1 and ITS2 regions of rDNA from the different strains varied from 173 to 179 bp and 203 to 205 bp, respectively. The sequence of ITS1 was more variable than that of ITS2, while the 5.8S sequences were identical with 156 base pairs. A phylogenetic tree based on the ITS region sequences indicated that selected strains could be classified into four clusters, while 3 strains of L. edodes was divided into a new cluster. Ten primers out of 20 arbitrary primers used in the RAPD-PCR efficiently amplified the genomic DNA. The numbers of amplified DNA bands varied with the primers and strains, with polymorphic DNA fragments in the range from 0.2 to 2.6 kb. The results showed that phylogenetic relationship among Korean strains of Lentnus lepideus is high, but genetic diversity is low.

Comparative Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships in Different Strains of Pleurotus spp.

Pleurotus spp. have been used for edible and medicinal purposes in Asian countries for a long time. The fruiting bodies of the Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus citrinopileatus and Pleurotus salmoneostramineus contained many physiologically beneficial substances for human health. Therefore, it is necessary to study the genetic diversity of Pleurotus mushroom cultivars commercially cultivated in Korea. Eleven strains of Pleurotus spp. were collected from different geographical regions in South-East Asia and ITS regions of rDNA and RAPD of genomic DNA were analyzed. The size of the ITS1 and ITS2 regions of rDNA from the different strains varied from 167 to 254 bp and 156 to 213 bp, respectively. The sequence of ITS1 was more variable than that of ITS2, and the 5.8S sequences were identical. A phylogenetic tree based on the ITS region sequences indicated that selected strains could be classified into 4 clusters. Eleven Pleurotus species were also analyzed by RAPD with 20 arbitrary primers. Ten of these primers were efficiently amplified the genomic DNA. The number of amplified bands varied with the primers and strains, with polymorphic fragments in the range from 0.1 to 2.0kb. The results revealed that genetic diversity of selected strains of P. ostreatus, P. citrinopileatus and P. salmoneostramineus is low.