Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Five Medicinal Mushrooms of the Genus .

Within the group of higher fungi, edible medicinal mushrooms have a long history of being used as food and in folk medicine. These species contain biologically active substances with many potential beneficial effects on human health. The genus is representative of medicinal mushrooms because is one of the most commonly cultivated culinary mushrooms. In our study, we focused on lesser-known species in the genus and measured their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. We prepared extracts of the mushrooms and analyzed them using HPLC-HRMS, GC-MS, and H-NMR. Significant differences in biological activities were found among the spp. extracts. A MeOH extract of was the most active as a radical scavenger with the highest ORAC, while a chloroform extract had significant anti-inflammatory COX-2 activity. The 80% MeOH extract of contained the highest amounts of ergosterol, ergothioneine, and mannitol. The 80% MeOH extract of Florida was the most active in the NF-κB inhibition assay and had the highest content of β-glucans (43.3% by dry weight). Given the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of , the potential therapeutic usefulness of this species is worth evaluating through in-depth investigations and confirmation by clinical trials.