Multivariate characterization of elements accumulated in Wolfiporia extensa mushroom from Yunnan province of China

Occurrence, distribution, and associations of essential and non-essential elements in the medicinal and edible fungus "Fuling" from southern China

In Asian countries, the sclerotia of the wild-grown fungus Pachyma hoelen ("Fuling"), have been used as food and as medicinal products for centuries. To close the knowledge gaps about the value and possible environmental impacts, the occurrence, distribution, and associations of a range of elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sr, Tl, U, V, and Zn) were studied in the inner (core) and outer (shell) morphological parts of the sclerotia from a diverse collection in Southern China. Quality of forest and agricultural soil in terms of a geogenic element source and composition can be considered as the main factor determining the occurrence of minerals in sclerotia through the host wood, largely of Pinus yunnanensis, while the anthropogenic impact (basically at remote rural areas of cultivation) in Southern China was negligible. In general, the mean concentration of each element in the outer part was significantly higher than that in the inner part (t-test, p < 0.01), except for Ag. The concentration of a given element in the outer part tended to have a positive relationship with that in the inner part, except for Cu, Se, Ag, and Zn. The elements in different morphological parts of sclerotia present different relation patterns. Compared to the outer part, there were stronger associations of elements in the inner part, suggesting homeostatic regulation of multiple elements in the inner parts. Further study on the sclerotia, infected wood substrate, and surrounding soil from a range of wild sample collections and intentional cultivation should provide a more complex view and allow assessment of the relationship between minerals and bioactive organic compounds produced by P. hoelen.

Epidemiology and Economic Burden of an Outbreak of Cyclopeptide-Containing Mushroom Poisoning in the West of Iran

Little evidence is available on the epidemiological and economical dimensions of certain foodborne diseases such as wild mushroom poisoning. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and estimate the costs of poisoning with cyclopeptide-containing mushrooms in Kermanshah province in 2018. In this study, poisoning was investigated in different subgroups. The cost of illness method with a bottom-up approach was used to estimate the poisoning costs. Both direct and indirect costs of the poisoning were included in the analysis. The perspective of the study was society. Required data were obtained from the medical records of Imam Khomeini hospital and completed through a line survey with the patients. Two hundred eighty-three patients were poisoned in Kermanshah due to poisoning with cyclopeptide-containing mushrooms. Of 283 patients, 143 (50.53%) were men and 59.01% of patients were rural residents. About 43% of admissions were out-patient cases and ~40% of patients were hospitalized within 1-3 days. Also, eight patients were pronounced dead in the area. The total cost of poisoning with cyclopeptide-containing mushrooms in Kermanshah province was $ 1,259,349.26. Of that, $ 69,281.65 was related to direct medical costs and $ 10,727.23 was direct non-medical costs. The indirect costs of death were estimated to be $ 1,125,829.7. The current study revealed that there is a significant financial burden due to cyclopeptide-containing mushrooms on patients, the health system, and society as a whole. Further studies are recommended to clarify the epidemiological and economic burden of foodborne illnesses related to wild mushroom poisonings. Sharing the outputs with health authorities, and informing the general public are warranted to reduce the burden of such diseases.

On the occurrence, origin, and intake of the nuclides, 210Po and 210Pb, in sclerotia of Wolfiporia cocos collected in China

The dried sclerotium of the fungus Wolfiporia cocos is edible and has medicinal value. This study aimed to understand the accumulation of radioactivity arising from the alpha ²¹⁰Po, and beta-emitting ²¹⁰Pb, in the sclerotium's shell and core and assess a potential effective dose for consumers. Sclerotia were collected in the wild and from cultivars in China's Anhui and Yunnan provinces. The mean values of ²¹⁰Po activity concentration levels were 0.36 Bq kg^-1 dry weight in the core and 12.0 Bq kg^-1 dw in the shell; ²¹⁰Pb activities were 0.43 and 9.84 Bq kg^-1 dw, respectively. The potential effective radiation doses from core layers (as a major raw material of the sclerotium) ranged from 0.13 to 3.43 µSv kg^-1 dw from ²¹⁰Po decay and from 0.11 to 1.52 µSv kg^-1 dw from ²¹⁰Pb decay. Corresponding values for shell ranged from 0.80 to 42.4 for ²¹⁰Po and from 0.53 to 13.6 µSv kg^-1 dw for ²¹⁰Pb. In general, the intake of W. cocos sclerotia varies between consumers, but this would not significantly change the effective radiation doses from ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb isotopes. The consumption thus appears to be safe from a radiological protection point of view.

Bipolar system of sexual incompatibility and heterothallic life cycle in the basidiomycetes Pachyma hoelen Fr. (Fuling)

The sclerotia of Pachyma hoelen are one of the traditional Chinese medicines and foods that are widely used in East Asian countries. The strains used for cultivation showed bad performance in recent years, and breeding of superior strains has become increasingly important for this fungus. Nevertheless, the mating system and life cycle of P. hoelen were still ambiguous. In this study, the methods for distinguishing between homokaryotic offspring with different mating types were established, as well as confirmation of strain hybridization based on allelic polymorphism at a locus of the rpb2 gene. The bipolar mating system was confirmed according to the mating results of homokaryotic SSIs. The fact that heterokaryotic parents produce homokaryotic meiospores proves that the life cycle is heterothallic. Combining scanning electron microscope observation and DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) fluorescent staining of hymenium and basidiospores in situ and ex situ, nuclear migration pattern from basidia to spores was revealed. The heterothallic life cycle was verified, revised, and supplemented step by step. This is the first report of systematic research on the mating system, life cycle, and outcrossing of homokaryotic offspring in P. hoelen. It will be helpful for the biological research, strain improvement, and development of the P. hoelen industry.

Mineral constituents in Leccinum scabrum from lowland locations in the central Europe and their relation to concentration in forest topsoil

Leccinum scabrum is an edible mushroom common in European regions in the northern hemisphere. Macro and trace mineral constituents such as Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, P, Rb, Sr and Zn were studied in L. scabrum and in the top soil collected from the same location underneath soil substratum. The "pseudo-total" and labile (extractable fraction of minerals) were measured to get insight into the levels, distribution between the morphological parts of fruiting bodies, potential for their bioconcentration by mushroom and evaluated for human exposure via consumption of the mushroom. The sampling sites include the Darżlubska Wilderness, Trójmiejski Landscape Park, Sobieszewo Island, Wdzydze Landscape Park and outskirts of the Kętrzyn town in Mazury from the norther part of Poland. Median values of K, Rb and P concentrations in dehydrated L. scabrum were for caps in range 27,000-44,000 mg kg^-1, 90-320 mg kg^-1 and 6,200-9,100 mg kg^-1, and followed by Mg at 880-1,000 mg kg^-1, Ca at 48-210 mg kg^-1 and Al at 15-120 mg kg^-1. The median concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in caps were in range 15-27 mg kg^-1 db 38-140 mg kg^-1, 5.3-27 mg kg^-1 and 130-270 mg kg^-1. For Ba and Sr, concentrations on the average were at ∼1 mg kg^-1, and almost equally distributed between the caps and stipes of the fruiting bodies. L. scabrum mushrooms were low in toxic Ag, Cd, Hg and Pb, for which the median values in dried caps from five locations were, respectively, in range 0.48-0.98 mg kg^-1 (cap to stipe index, Q_C/S, was 2.5-4.1), 1.0-5.8 mg kg^-1 (Q_C/S 2.9-3.8), 0.36-0.59 mg kg^-1 (Q_C/S 1.6-2.7) and 0.20-0.91 mg kg^-1 (Q_C/S 1.2-1.9). Substantial variations in the concentrations of the "pseudo-total" fraction (extracted by aqua regia) or labile fraction (extracted by 20% solution of nitric acid) of the elements determined in forest topsoils were noted between some of the locations examined. The elements K, P, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Na, Rb and Zn can be considered as those which were bioconcentrated by L. scabrum in fruiting bodies, while the rates of accumulation varied with the sampling location.