LWT - Food Science and Technology 47 (2012) 274e278

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LWT - Food Science and Technology

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Contents of lovastatin, g-aminobutyric acid and ergothioneine in mushroom

fruiting bodies and mycelia
Shin-Yu Chen, Kung-Jui Ho, Yun-Jung Hsieh, Li-Ting Wang, Jeng-Leun Mau*
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuokuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan, ROC

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Lovastatin, g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ergothioneine were analysed in mushrooms. Among fruiting
Received 11 February 2011 bodies, Pleurotus ostreatus (Japan) and Agaricus bisporus contained the highest amount of lovastatin
Received in revised form (606.5 and 565.4 mg/kg, respectively) whereas among mycelia, Cordyceps sinensis and Antrodia salmonea
2 January 2012
contained the highest (1365 and 1032 mg/kg, respectively). Among fruiting bodies, Flammulina velutipes
Accepted 17 January 2012
and Boletus edulis contained the highest amount of GABA (229.7 and 202.1 mg/kg, respectively) whereas
among mycelia, Cordyceps cicadae, C. sinensis and Agaricus blazei contained the highest (254.9, 220.5 and
Keywords:
200.4 mg/kg, respectively). Among fruiting bodies, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, P. ostreatus (Korea),
Mushroom
Lovastatin
P. ostreatus (Taiwan) and Pleurotus salmoneostramineus contained the highest amount of ergothioneine
GABA (2850.7, 1829.4, 1458.4 and 1245.0 mg/kg, respectively) whereas among mycelia, Pleurotus eryngii con-
Ergothioneine tained the highest (1514.6 mg/kg). Ergothioneine was detected in all samples. However, the Pleurotus
genus contained considerably high amount of ergothioneine. Overall, these results might be related to
their beneficial effects.
Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Mushrooms have been used as foods and food flavouring
materials in soups and sauces for centuries, due to their unique and
subtle flavour. Besides, as mushrooms are relatively low in calories
and fat but rich in proteins, chitin, vitamins, and minerals, they are
also health foods. Accordingly, mushrooms constitute an increasing
share in the world diet (Manzi, Gambelli, Marconi, Vivanti, &
Pizzoferrato, 1999). Mushrooms are thought to be beneficial for
such diseases as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and cancer
(Bobek & Galbavy, 1999; Borchers, Stern, Hackman, Keen, &
Gershwin, 1999). Edible mushrooms are always available in fruit-
ing bodies form for cooking whereas medicinal mushrooms are
always available in mycelia due to their rare and expensive nature.
Lovastatin (also known as monacolin K, mevinolin or mevacor),
g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ergothioneine are secondary
metabolites from fungal growth (Chen & Hu, 2005; Kim et al., 2009;
Mau, Lin, & Song, 2002). Lovastatin is known to be produced by
Monascus species and is one of statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl
coenzyme A reductase inhibitors), which inhibit the rate-limiting
enzyme in the production of cholesterol, lower total and LDL
cholesterol levels and have been proven to reduce the risk of
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ886 4 2285 4313; fax: þ886 4 2287 6211.
E-mail address: jlmau@dragon.nchu.edu.tw (J.-L. Mau).
coronary heart disease. These statins have been shown to have
effectively anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and pro-fibrinolytic
properties and to prevent acute coronary syndromes and athero-
sclerotic disease (Aarons et al., 2007).
Several in vivo experiments have demonstrated the hypotensive
effect of GABA. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, GABA has an
antihypertensive effect. Furthermore, the protection and hypoten-
sive actions of some food products containing GABA were shown in
hypertensive patients (Tanaka et al., 2009).
Ergothioneine, a water-soluble thiol compound, has currently
attracted awareness because of its identification as the biogenic key
substrate of the organic cation transporter OCTN1 (gene symbol:
SLC22A4) (Ey, Schomig, & Taubert, 2007). OCTN1 appears to have
a pivotal protective role in monocytes, which has been associated as
a susceptibly factor in the etiopathology of autoimmune disorders
such as rheumatoid arthritis (Tokuhiro et al., 2003) and Crohn’s
disease (Peltekova et al., 2004).
Some research have been documented that ergothioneine is an
excellent antioxidant in vivo (Dubost, Ou, & Beelman, 2007;
Hartman, 1990) and a cellular protector against oxidative damage
(Aruoma, Spencer, & Mahmood, 1999). Ergothioneine is effective
intrinsic anti-hydroxyl, anti-peroxyl and anti-peroxynitrite radical
antioxidant activity, as compared to classic molecules with anti-
oxidant capacity as reduced glutathione, uric acid and trolox
(Franzoni et al., 2006).

0023-6438/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2012.01.019
 S.-Y. Chen et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology 47 (2012) 274e278 275

These three compounds are functional components and their 2.2. Determination of lovastatin
contents in mushrooms have not been reported. Accordingly, our
objective was to analyse lovastatin, GABA and ergothioneine contents Freeze-dried mushroom powder (3 g) was extracted by stirring
in fruiting bodies and mycelia of commercially available mushrooms. with 30 mL of acetonitrile (Tedia, Fairfield, OH, USA) at 25  C and
150 rpm for 24 h. The extract was then rotary evaporated at 40  C to
2. Materials and methods 5 mL and filtered through a 0.45 mm CA non-sterile filter (3 mm,
Lida, Kenosha, WI, USA). The filtrate was injected onto high-
2.1. Mushrooms performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). The HPLC system con-
sisted of a Hitachi L-2130 pump (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan), a Rheodyne
Totally, 29 species of mushrooms were used and categorised 7161 injector, a 20-ml sample loop, a Hitachi L-2455 Diode Array
into edible and medicinal mushrooms in Table 1 on the basis of the Detector, and a LiChrospher 100 RP-18 column (4.6  250 mm,
customary practice. Among them, Agaricus blazei and Grifola fron- 5 mm, Phenomenex, Torrance, CA, USA). The mobile phase was
dosa were considered as both edible and medicinal mushrooms. acetonitrile and deionised water, the gradient was 10:90 to 90:10
Sixteen species of mushroom fruiting bodies, including Agaricus for 20 min at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and UV detection at 254 nm
bisporus, Auricularia mesenterica, Boletus edulis, Clitocybe maxima, (Yang, Tseng, Chang, Lee, & Mau, 2005). Lovastatin was quantified
Flammulina velutipes, G. frondosa, Hypsizigus marmoreus, Inonotus by the calibration curve of the authentic standard (Lovacor, Hsien-
obliquus, Lentinula edodes, Pholiota nameko, Pleurotus cit- Tai Pharmaceuticals, Tainan, Taiwan).
rinopileatus, Pleurotus cystidiosus, Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus fer-
ulae, Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus salmoneostramineus, were 2.3. Determination of g-aminobutyric acid
obtained from Q-Yo Bio-Technology Farm, Pusin, Chunghua, Taiwan
and freeze-dried. Fruiting bodies of C. maxima were divided into Freeze-dried mushroom powder (500 mg) was shaken with
caps and stipes as described in Tsai et al. (2009). Sporophores and 50 mL of 0.1 mol/L HCl solution for 45 min at ambient temperature
bases of P. eryngii were divided as described in Mau, Lin, Chen, Wu, and filtered through Whatman No. 4 filter paper. The filtrate was
and Peng (1998). Three strains of P. ostreatus, including Japan, Korea then passed through a filter unit (13 mm, Lida), and filtered using
and Taiwan strains, were commercial available. 0.45 m CA non-sterile filter. This filtrate was mixed with o-phtha-
Seventeen species of mushroom mycelia, including A. blazei, laldehyde reagent (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) in an Eppendorf tube,
Agrocybe cylindracea, Antrodia camphorata, Antrodia salmonea, shaken to facilitate derivatisation and then immediately injected
Armillariella mellea, Coprinus comatus, Cordyceps cicadae, Cordyceps onto HPLC. The HPLC system consisted of a Shimadzu LC-10AT
militaris, Cordyceps sinensis, Coriolus versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, pump (Shimadzu, Tokyo, Japan), a Rheodyne 7161 injector, a 20-
G. frondosa, Hericium erinaceus, H. marmoreus, I. obliquus, Phellinus mL sample loop, a Hitachi FL-Detector L-2455 with fluorescence
linteus and P. eryngii, were obtained in freeze-dried form from the excitation at 340 nm and emission at 450 nm, and a chromolith RP-
Biotechnology Centre, Grape King Inc., Chungli City, Taiwan. Three 18e column (4.6  100 mm, Merck, Darmstadt, Germany). The
strains of C. militaris, including strains cm1, cm5 and 419, were mobile phases were A, 50 mmol/L sodium acetate (pH 5.7) con-
commercial available. Normal and white strains of H. marmoreus taining 5 mL/L tetrahydofuran; B, deionised water; and C, methanol
were also used. Four species of mushrooms, including G. frondosa, (Mau, Chyau, Li, & Tseng, 1997). The gradient was A: B: C 83:0:17 to
H. marmoreus, I. obliquus and P. eryngii, were analysed for both 33:0:67 for 0e37 min, 0:33:67 for 37e40 min, and 0:100:0 for
fruiting bodies and mycelia. 40e43 min at the flow rate of 1.2 mL/min. GABA was quantified by
the calibration curve of the authentic standard (Sigma).
Table 1
Edible and medicinal mushrooms.
2.4. Determination of ergothioneine
Species Edible Medicinal
Agaricus bisporus þ The ergothioneine content was analyzed following the method
Agaricus blazei þ þ
of Dubost, Beelman, Peterson, and Royse (2006) with some modi-
Agrocybe cylindracea þ
Antrodia camphorata þ fication. Freeze-dried mushroom powder (1 g) was added to 20 mL
Antrodia salmonea þ extracting solution (10 mmol/L 1,4-Dithiothreitol, 100 mmol/L
Armillariella mellea þ betaine, 100 mmol/L 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole in 700 mL/L
Auricularia mesenterica þ ethanol) and vortexed for 90 s. After 4 mL of 10 g/L sodium dodecyl
Boletus edulis þ
sulphate solution was added and the mixture was centrifuged at
Clitocybe maxima þ
Coprinus comatus þ 25  C and 3000g for 10 min. The supernatant was then rotary
Cordyceps cicadae þ evaporated at 40  C to 5 mL and filtered through a 0.45 mm CA non-
Cordyceps militaris þ sterile filter. The HPLC system consisted of a Hitachi L-2130 pump,
þ
Cordyceps sinensis
a Rheodyne 7161 injector, a 20-mL sample loop, a Hitachi L-2455
Coriolus versicolor þ
Flammulina velutipes þ
Diode Array Detector, and a Luna 5 m PFP(2) 100A column
Ganoderma lucidum þ (4.6  250 mm, Phenomenex). The mobile phase was 500 mmol/L
Grifola frondosa þ þ sodium phosphate in water with 30 mL/L acetonitrile and 1 mL/L
Hericium erinaceus þ triethylamine adjusted to a pH of 7.3 with at a flow rate of 1 mL/min
Hypsizigus marmoreus þ
and UV detection at 254 nm. Ergothioneine was quantified by the
Inonotus obliquus þ
Lentinula edodes þ calibration curve of the authentic standard (Sigma).
Phellinus linteus þ
Pholiota nameko þ 2.5. Statistical analysis
Pleurotus citrinopileatus þ
Pleurotus cystidiosus þ
Pleurotus eryngii þ
For each of fruiting bodies and mycelia, three samples were used
Pleurotus ferulae þ for the determination of every component. The experimental data
Pleurotus ostreatus þ were subjected to an analysis of variance for a completely random
Pleurotus salmoneostramineus þ design using a Statistical Analysis System 2000 (SAS Institute, Cary,
276 S.-Y. Chen et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology 47 (2012) 274e278

NC, USA). Fisher’s least significant difference procedure was used to Table 3
determine the difference among means at the level of 0.05. The lovastatin, GABA and ergothioneine contents of mycelia.

Mycelium Contenta (mg/kg dry weight)

Lovastatin GABA Ergothioneine

3. Results and discussion Agaricus blazei 769.9  7.2C 200.4  21.0BC 79.6  7.3KLM
Agrocybe cylindracea 417.8  7.5F 123.0  10.3DE 279.4  7.3FG
Antrodia camphorata 543.6  6.5D 38.4  2.7G 281.6  13.8FG
Tables 2 and 3 show lovastatin, GABA and ergothioneine contents Antrodia salmonea 1032.3  8.6B 133.0  9.1D 7.6  0.5M
in fruiting bodies and mycelia, respectively. P. ostreatus (Japan) and Armillariella mellea 253.2  10.7G 34.2  3.4 GH 219.6  9.3FGH
A. bisporus contained the highest amount of lovastatin (606.5 and Coprinus comatus 109.6  5.4K NDb 399.0  4.6D
565.4 mg/kg, respectively) in fruiting bodies of 20 studied species Cordyceps cicadae 134.3  4.2J 254.9  9.6A 588.0  42.3C
Cordyceps militaris 37.7  0.7L 70.6  6.5F 215.0  10.5FGH
whereas C. sinensis and A. salmonea contained the highest amount
(strain cm1)
(1365 and 1032 mg/kg, respectively) in mycelia of 20 studied Cordyceps militaris 47.9  3.5LM 68.6  5.4F 785.1  9.4B
species. However, lovastatin was not detected in fruiting bodies of (strain cm5)
A. mesenterica, G. frondosa, L. edodes, and P. salmoneostramineus and Cordyceps militaris 57.3  3.2LM 180.1  8.4C 123.4  12.7JKL
mycelia of G. frondosa. (strain 419)
Cordyceps sinensis 1365.3  7.9A 220.5  10.2B 142.0  38.5IJK
Lovastatin contents could be arbitrarily grouped into four levels:
Coriolus versicolor 207.0  7.1H 115.8  4.2DE 13.0  1.9M
first level of > 1000 mg/kg dry weight, second level of Ganoderma lucidum 10.6  0.3N 7.0  0.6I 16.5  2.0M
500e1000 mg/kg, third level of 100e500 mg/kg, fourth level of Grifola frondosa ND ND 296.2  25.1EF
<100 mg/kg, and fifth level of no detection. Among fruiting bodies, Hericium erinaceus 187.5  7.3HI 6.2  0.7I 376.2  36.7DE
Hypsizigus marmoreus 455.2  15.9E 125.3  1.8DE 221.4  4.6FGH
lovastatin contents at the second level were P. ostreatus (Japan) and
(white)
A. bisporus whereas those at the fourth level were F. velutipes and Hypsizigus marmoreus 424.3  13.6F 101.1  4.8E 206.7  12.6GHI
I. obliquus. Among mycelia, lovastatin contents at the first level (normal)
were C. sinensis and A. salmonea whereas those at the second level Inonotus obliquus 25.6  1.5 MN 12.1  0.8HI 252.1  5.5FGH
were A. blazei and A. camphorata. Phellinus linteus 168.3  4.5I 67.8  4.8F 181.8  16.7HIJ
Pleurotus eryngii 44.5  0.9LM ND 1514.6  15.7A
Generally, lovastatin contents in mycelia were higher than
a
those in fruiting bodies since the species numbers of mycelia Each value is expressed as mean  standard error (n ¼ 3). Means with different
letters within a column are significantly different (P < 0.05).
listed in first, second, third, fourth and fifth levels were 2, 2, 9, b
Not detected.
6 and 1; and those of fruiting bodies were 0, 2, 12, 2 and
4, respectively. It showed that the lovastatin content in
H. marmoreus (normal) mycelia was higher than that in its fruiting
lovastatin contents of mycelia between edible and medicinal
bodies. Contrarily, for P. eryngii, lovastatin content in mycelia was
mushrooms was found.
lower than those in fruiting bodies. However, for I. obliquus, the
Lovastatin was found in fruiting bodies and mycelial cultures of
lovastatin contents in mycelia and fruiting bodies were similar
edible mushrooms, especially in Pleurotus spp. (Alarcon et al., 2003;
and at the fourth level. In addition, no apparent difference in the
Lee, Lee, Gwak, Lee, & Choi, 2006). Lindequist, Niedermeyer, and
Jülich (2005) showed P. ostreatus to have a hypocholesterolemic
Table 2 effect and to inhibit the lipid per-oxidation in rats and rabbits. In
The lovastatin, GABA and ergothioneine contents of fruiting bodies. addition, the oyster mushroom diet with 10% dried fruiting bodies
Fruiting body Contenta (mg/kg dry weight) noticeably reduced the occurrence and size of atherosclerotic pla-
ques in rabbits. Lovastatin with the HMG-CoA reductase activity
Lovastatin GABA Ergothioneine
could be detected in this mushroom and might be the major
Agaricus bisporus 565.4  18.5B 125.4  8.8C 932.7  5.0E
component responsible for the observed effects.
Auricularia mesenterica NDb ND 149.4  1.0L
Boletus edulis 327.3  10.3C 202.1  4.9B 494.4  1.0HI Among fruiting bodies, F. velutipes and B. edulis contained the
Clitocybe maxima (cap) 155.8  5.2GH 17.3  0.7EF 991.2  29.8E highest amount of GABA (229.7 and 202.1 mg/kg, respectively)
Clitocybe maxima (stipe) 239.9  5.7D 22.7  0.7EF 664.4  3.6G whereas among mycelia, C. cicadae, C. sinensis and A. blazei con-
Flammulina velutipes 90.8  2.0J 229.7  13.3A 454.5  2.4IJ tained the highest amount of GABA (254.9, 220.5 and 200.4 mg/kg,
Grifola frondosa ND 17.8  2.4EF 553.2  1.3H
Hypsizigus marmoreus 257.9  8.9D 114.1  14.7C 409.5  15.0J
respectively). However, GABA was not detected in fruiting bodies of
(normal) A. mesenterica, I. obliquus, P. eryngii (base), P. ostreatus (Taiwan) and
Inonotus obliquus 22.0  0.3K ND 47.7  0.6M P. salmoneostramineus, and mycelia of C. comatus, G. frondosa and
Lentinula edodes ND 15.4  1.2F 412.3  9.2J P. eryngii. Kim et al. (2009) also found that GABA was not detected
Pholiota nameko 185.5  3.6F 8.2  0.3F 228.8  7.8K
in fruiting bodies of I. obliquus.
Pleurotus citrinopileatus 118.0  2.7I 17.8  3.3EF 2850.7  10.6A
Pleurotus cystidiosus 101.1  1.5IJ 37.1  1.5DE 258.9  12.4K GABA contents could be arbitrarily grouped into four levels: first
Pleurotus eryngii (base) 151.8  3.2 GH ND 624.5  30.3G level of > 200 mg/kg dry weight, second level of 100e200 mg/kg,
Pleurotus eryngii 119.9  2.3I 25.5  0.9EF 840.4  19.7F third level of 10e100 mg/kg, fourth level of <10 mg/kg, and fifth
(sporophore) level of no detection. Among fruiting bodies, GABA contents at the
Pleurotus ferulae 142.2  2.5H 46.7  5.7D 464.1  6.9IJ
Pleurotus ostreatus 606.5  5.6A 6.1  1.3F 944.1  43.1E
first level were F. velutipes and B. edulis whereas those at the second
(Japan) level were A. bisporus and H. marmoreus (normal). Among mycelia,
Pleurotus ostreatus 165.3  3.8G 23.6  2.9EF 1829.4  49.9B GABA contents at the first level were C. cicadae, C. sinensis and
(Korea) A. blazei whereas those at the second level were C. militaris,
Pleurotus ostreatus 216.4  9.9E ND 1458.4  35.3C
A. salmonea, H. marmoreus (white), A. cylindracea, C. versicolor and
(Taiwan)
Pleurotus ND ND 1245.0  48.7D H. marmoreus (normal).
salmoneostramineus Similar to lovastatin contents, it seems that GABA contents in
a
Each value is expressed as mean  standard error (n ¼ 3). Means with different
mycelia were higher than those in fruiting bodies since the species
letters within a column are significantly different (P < 0.05). numbers of mycelia listed in first, second, third, fourth and fifth
b
Not detected. levels were 3, 6, 6, 2 and 3; and those of fruiting bodies were 2, 2, 9,
 S.-Y. Chen et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology 47 (2012) 274e278
2 and 5, respectively. For both fruiting bodies and mycelia, GABA
was found in mycelia of I. obliquus and in fruiting bodies of
G. frondosa and P. eryngii. For H. marmoreus (normal), GABA
contents in fruiting bodies and mycelia were comparable and at the
second level. Similarly, no apparent difference in the GABA contents
of mycelia between edible and medicinal mushrooms was found.
In canned mushrooms, GABA contents of A. bisporus, Volvariella
volvacea and F. velutipes were 1.38, 1.31 and 25.8 mg/kg, respec-
tively (Chiang, Yen, & Mau, 2006). It seems that the blanching and
thermal processing of canning showed a great influence on GABA
contents. GABA contents in fruiting bodies and mycelia of C.
comatus were 630 and 230 mg/kg, respectively (Tsai, Tsai, & Mau,
2007). Furthermore, GABA contents in fruiting bodies of A. blazei,
A. cylindracea and B. edulis were 360, 210 and 110 mg/kg, respec-
tively (Tsai, Tsai, & Mau, 2008). It shows that mushrooms including
both fruiting bodies and mycelia are good sources of GABA.
Among fruiting bodies, P. citrinopileatus, P. ostreatus (Korea),
P. ostreatus (Taiwan) and P. salmoneostramineus contained the
highest amount of ergothioneine (2850.7, 1829.4, 1458.4 and
1245.0 mg/kg, respectively) whereas among mycelia, P. eryngii
contained the highest amount of ergothioneine (1514.6 mg/kg). All
samples tested, including fruiting bodies and mycelia, contained
different amounts of ergothioneine. This result is consistent to the
fact that ergothioneine is mainly synthesised in fungi (Genghof,
1970). Interestingly, the Pleurotus genus contained considerably
high amount of ergothioneine. Dubost et al. (2007) also found the
ergothioneine content of oyster mushrooms to be the highest
(2590 mg/kg dry weight). It seems that oyster mushrooms were an
abundant source of ergothioneine.
Ergothioneine contents could be arbitrarily grouped into four
levels: first level of >2000 mg/kg dry weight, second level of
1000e2000 mg/kg, third level of 200e1000 mg/kg, and fourth level
of <200 mg/kg. Among fruiting bodies, the ergothioneine content
at the first level is P. citrinopileatus whereas those at the second
level are P. ostreatus (Korea), P. ostreatus (Taiwan) and
P. salmoneostramineus. Among mycelia, the ergothioneine content
at the second level is P. eryngii.
Contrary to lovastatin and GABA contents, ergothioneine
contents in fruiting bodies were higher than those in mycelia since
the species numbers of fruiting bodies listed in first, second, third
and fourth levels were 1, 3, 14 and 2; and those of mycelia were 0, 1,
12 and 7, respectively. For G. frondosa and H. marmoreus (normal),
ergothioneine contents in fruiting bodies were higher than those in
mycelia. However, for P. eryngii and I. obliquus, ergothioneine
contents in mycelia were higher than those in fruiting bodies.
It is reported that elevated serum cholesterol levels, which were
common in hyperlipidemic patients, might have an exaggerated
cardiovascular response to stress (Borghi et al., 2004). It suggests
that plasma cholesterol might be involved in blood pressure control
and regulation In addition, the overwhelming evidence of both the
cardioprotective and vasculoprotective profits of statin therapy and
the continued discovery of actions of these agents independent of
lipid lowering suggested that the modulation of blood pressure by
statins may play a role in the hyperlipidemic-hypertensive patient
(Chopra, Choksi, & Cavusoglu, 2007). A combination of statins was
capable of lowering plasma low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and
blood pressure (Das, 2008). Statins were found to adjust cholesterol
metabolism by inhibiting the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol
biosynthesis, and producing greater reduces in plasma cholesterol
levels than previously recognised with hypolipidemic therapy
(Tang et al., 2009). It seems that high contents of lovastatin and
GABA in mycelia of C. sinensis, A. blazei and fruiting bodies of
A. bisporus might be an alternative for statin therapy to heal
hyperlipidemic and hypertensive patients. However, the reduction
of serum lipid and blood pressure in vitro and in vivo using mycelia
277
of C. sinensis, A. blazei and fruiting bodies of A. bisporus will be an
area of investigation.
The concentration of ergothioneine had been found to be
1e2 mM in human and mammalian tissues, suggesting that ergo-
thioneine might serve as a non-toxic antioxidant in vivo (Aruoma
et al., 1999). Cells lacking ergothioneine were readily susceptible to
oxidative stress, and thereby resulting in increased mitochondrial
DNA damage, protein oxidation and lipid per-oxidation (Paul &
Snyder, 2009). Since mushrooms are an abundant source of anti-
oxidants, including ergothioneine, it is another reason to incorpo-
rate mushrooms into the human diet (Dubost et al., 2007). Besides,
ergothioneine may be a new vitamin with physiologic roles in
antioxidant cytoprotection (Paul & Snyder, 2009).
4. Conclusion
These results showed that most mushroom fruiting bodies and
mycelia contained substantial amounts of lovastatin and GABA.
Ergothioneine was detected in all samples, including fruiting bodies
and mycelia. However, the Pleurotus genus contained considerably
high amount of ergothioneine. The contents of lovastatin and GABA
in mycelia were higher than those in fruiting bodies whereas the
content of ergothioneine in fruiting bodies was higher than that in
mycelia. However, more species of mushrooms are needed to be
analysed to verify this finding. Mushrooms are known to exhibit
beneficial activities such as hypocholesterolemia, anti-hypertension
and antioxidant properties. It seems that the contents of these three
components in mushrooms, in the form of fruiting bodies and
mycelia, might be related to their beneficial effects. The correlation
of these components from mushroom extracts with these beneficial
effects would be an area of investigation.
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