Antigenotoxic and antioxidant potential of medicinal mushrooms (Immune Assist) against DNA damage induced by free radicals-an in vitro study

Genoprotective activity of the Pleurotus eryngii mushrooms following their in vitro and in vivo fermentation by fecal microbiota

Pleurotus eryngii mushrooms are commercially cultivated and widely consumed due to their organoleptic properties, and the low caloric and high nutritional value. In addition, they contain various biologically active and health-promoting compounds; very recently, their genoprotective effect in Caco-2 cells after their fermentation by the human fecal microbiota was also documented. In the current study, the effect of P. eryngii pre- and post-fermentation supernatants in micronuclei formation was evaluated in human lymphocytes. In addition, the genoprotective properties of increasing concentrations of aqueous extracts from P. eryngii mushrooms (150, 300, 600 mg/kg) against the cyclophosphamide-induced DNA damage were studied in young and elderly female and male mice in bone marrow and whole blood cells. The ability of the highest dose (600 mg/kg) to regulate the main cellular signaling pathways was also evaluated in gut and liver tissues of female animals by quantifying the mRNA expression of NrF2, Nfkβ, DNMT1, and IL-22 genes. P. eryngii post-fermentation, but not pre-fermentation, supernatants were able to protect human lymphocytes from the mitomycin C-induced DNA damage in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, genoprotection was also observed in bone marrow cells of mice treated by gavage with P. eryngii extract. The effect was observed in all the experimental groups of mice (young and elderly, male and female) and was more potent in young female mice. Overexpression of all genes examined was observed in both tissues, mainly among the elderly animals. In conclusion, P. eryngii mushrooms were shown to maintain genome integrity through protecting cells from genotoxic insults. These beneficial effects can be attributed to their antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, as well as their ability to regulate the cell’s epigenetic mechanisms and maintain cell homeostasis.

DNA damage and repair on hematopoietic stem cells: impact of oxidative stress in renovascular hypertension

BACKGROUND

This study investigated oxidative damage to bone marrow cells in the pathogenesis of renovascular hypertension (RH).

METHODS

Male C57BL/6 J mice (10-week-old and ~23 g) were divided into two groups: Sham-operated and 2K1C, which has a stainless-steel clip placed around the left renal artery. After twenty-eight days, the animals were anesthetized for hemodynamic measurements and bone marrow cells isolation. The intracellular production of ROS, DNA damage, and DNA repair kinetics were evaluated.

RESULTS

Our results show that RH increases HSCs ROS production and that the 2K1C group showed a significant reduction of HSCs in the G0/G1 phase, increased p53 expression, DNA fragmentation, low DNA repair capacity, and a higher percentage of apoptotic cells when compared with the Sham group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data imply that RH can compromise the hematopoiesis by increased oxidative stress leading to impaired DNA repair activity. Furthermore, this study provides new insights into the influence of hypertension on bone marrow homeostasis. This study showed for the first time that RH leads to oxidative damage, including genotoxic, to bone marrow cells. Thus, these findings provide new insights into the consequences of RH on bone marrow cells.

Edible Mushrooms for Sustainable and Healthy Human Food: Nutritional and Medicinal Attributes

Global food production faces many challenges, including climate change, a water crisis, land degradation, and desertification. These challenges require research into non-traditional sources of human foods. Edible mushrooms are considered an important next-generation healthy food source. Edible mushrooms are rich in proteins, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive components (alkaloids, lactones, polysaccharides, polyphenolic compounds, sesquiterpenes, sterols, and terpenoids). Several bioactive ingredients can be extracted from edible mushrooms and incorporated into health-promoting supplements. It has been suggested that several human diseases can be treated with extracts from edible mushrooms, as these extracts have biological effects including anticancer, antidiabetic, antiviral, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, immune-potentiating, and hypo-cholesterolemic influences. The current study focuses on sustainable approaches for handling edible mushrooms and their secondary metabolites, including biofortification. Comparisons between edible and poisonous mushrooms, as well as the common species of edible mushrooms and their different bioactive ingredients, are crucial. Nutritional values and the health benefits of edible mushrooms, as well as different biomedical applications, have been also emphasized. Further research is needed to explore the economic sustainability of different medicinal mushroom bioactive compound extracts and their potential applications against emerging diseases such as COVID-19. New approaches such as nano-biofortification are also needed to supply edible mushrooms with essential nutrients and/or to increase their bioactive ingredients.

Antioxidant Activity In Vitro Guided Screening and Identification of Flavonoids Antioxidants in the Extract from Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg

This study aimed to investigate the extract with high antioxidant activity of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg and identify the antioxidant components in vitro. α, α-Diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and hydroxyl radical scavenging method were used to screen the extract with high antioxidant activity. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was evaluated by the free radical scavenging ability of DPPH. The ability of extracts to scavenge 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical was evaluated by TEAC assay. The FRAP method was used to evaluate the ability of extracts to reduce Fe³⁺. The ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals produced by the interaction of hydrogen peroxide and Fe²⁺ was measured by monitoring the change in the absorbance of the reaction mixture at 536 nm. Then, high-performance liquid chromatography-DPPH (HPLC-DPPH) and HPLC-hydroxyl radical scavenging methods were used to screen the antioxidant components in the extract. The molecular weight of the above antioxidant components was investigated using the qualitative analytical method of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF LC/MS). Based on the concentrations of the samples (0.2–4 mg/mL), the DPPH free radical scavenging ability, ABTS+ free radical scavenging ability, hydroxyl free radical scavenging ability, and Fe³⁺ reducing ability of the ethyl acetate extract (EAE) were stronger than that of the crude extract (CE), petroleum ether extract (PEE), and n-butanol extract (BE). The EAE has higher antioxidant activity than CE, PEE, and BE. Six antioxidant components, rutin, quercetin, isoquercetin, astragalin, kaempferol, and kaempferol-3-o-rutoside, were identified in the EAE.

Recent advances in polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes (Berk.): Isolation, structures and bioactivities

Lentinus edodes, an important edible mushroom cultivated in East Asia for thousands of years, has been widely used as food and medicinal ingredient worldwide. Modern phytochemistry studies have demonstrated that L. edodes is very rich in bioactive polysaccharides, especially the β-glucans. Over the past two decades, the isolation, chemical properties, and bioactivities of polysaccharides from fruiting bodies, mycelium and fermentation broth of L. edodes have been drawing much attention from scholars around the world. It has been demonstrated that L. edodes polysaccharides possess various remarkable biological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, anti-aging, anti-inflammation, immunomodulatory, antiviral, and hepatoprotection effects. This review summarizes the recent development of polysaccharides from L. edodes including the isolation methods, structural features, bioactivities and mechanisms, and their structure-activity relationship, which can provide useful research underpinnings and update information for their further application as therapeutic agents and functional foods.

Synthesis of Short-Chain-Fatty-Acid Resveratrol Esters and Their Antioxidant Properties

To expand the applications and enhance the stability and bioactivity of resveratrol (RE), and to simultaneously include the potential health benefits of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) esters of RE were prepared by Steglich reactions with acetic, propionic, and butyric acids, respectively. RE and the esterified RE-SCFA products (including RAE, RPE, and RBE) were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The FTIR and ¹³C NMR spectra of the esterified products included ester-characteristic peaks at 1751 cm⁻¹ and 171 ppm, respectively. Moreover, the peaks in the range of 1700 to 1600 cm⁻¹ in the FTIR spectra of the esterified products indicated that the esterification of RE-SCFA was successful. The TGA results revealed that the RE-SCFA esters decomposed at lower temperatures than RE. The peaks in the LC–MS profiles of the esterified products indicated the formation of mono- and diesters, and the calculated monoester synthesis rates ranged between 45.81 and 49.64%. The RE esters inhibited the Cu²⁺-induced low-density lipoprotein oxidation reaction, exhibited antioxidant activity in bulk oil, and effectively inhibited the hydroxyl radical-induced DNA scission. Moreover, the RE-SCFA esters had better hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity than RE. Our results are the first in the literature to successfully including short chain fatty acids in the esters of resveratrol, and the products could be used as a functional food ingredient in processed foods or can be used as dietary supplements to promote health.

Bioactive Phenolic Compounds of Two Medicinal Mushroom Species Trametes versicolor and Stereum subtomentosum as Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Agents

Medicinal mushrooms have tremendous potential in production of bioactive compounds with diverse bioactivities while the biochemical potential of some specific mushroom strains (autochthonous for the region) in production of specific bioactive agents may be of the main importance in a continuous search for novel strains with supreme activities all over the world. In this study, the ethanolic (EtOH) and water (H₂ O) extracts of wild-growing polypore mushroom species were investigated: Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd and Stereum subtomentosum Pouzar. This study was designed to determine total phenol (TP), flavonoid (TF) and protein content (TPR) as well as LC/MS/MS phenolic profile related to in vitro antioxidant, antiproliferative (MTT assay) (AP) and DNA fragmentation properties. The H₂ O extracts expressed better antioxidant scavenging potential than EtOH showing the highest activity for the T. versicolor (IC₅₀ =5.6 μg/mL, IC₅₀ =0.6 μg/mL for DPPH^. and OH^. , respectively) while O₂ ^.- activity achieved the best activity for S. subtomentosum (IC₅₀ =4.1 μg/mL). In contrary, the highest AP activity was obtained for the EtOH extracts of S. subtomentosum (IC₅₀ =141.1 μg/mL). The EtOH extracts of both species showed the highest TP, TF and TPR content. Obtained results of DNA degradation indicate genotoxicity potential of the extracts at high concentration. The LC/MS/MS detection showed that the majority of analyzed extracts contained phenolic acids, p-hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acid. The obtained results suggest that analyzed medicinal mushroom species, T. versicolor and S. subtomentosum, could be of potential interest as new sources of strong natural antioxidants as well as antiproliferative agents in the future.

Antigenotoxic Effects of Biochaga and Dihydroquercetin (Taxifolin) on H2O2-Induced DNA Damage in Human Whole Blood Cells

The health benefits of natural products have long been recognized. Consumption of dietary compounds such as supplements provides an alternative source of natural products to those obtained from the diet. There is a growing concern regarding the possible side effects of using different food supplements simultaneously, since their possible interactions are less known. For the first time, we have tested genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of Biochaga, in combination with dihydroquercetin. No genotoxic effect on whole blood cells was observed within individual treatment of Biochaga (250 μg/mL, 500 μg/mL and 1000 μg/mL) and dihydroquercetin (100 μg/mL, 250 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL), nor in combination. Afterwards, antigenotoxic potency of both supplements against hydrogen peroxide- (H₂O₂-) induced DNA damage to whole blood cells (WBC) was assessed, using the comet assay. Biochaga and dihydroquercetin displayed a strong potential to attenuate H₂O₂-induced damage on DNA in cells at all tested concentrations, with a statistical significance (p < 0.05), whereas Biochaga at the dose of 500 μg/mL in combination with dihydroquercetin 500 μg/mL was most prominent. Biochaga in combination with dihydroquercetin is able to protect genomic material from oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide in vitro.