Objective: Mushroom crude polysaccharides offer a complete package of various medicinal activities. In this context, the present study aimed to unveil structural and biomedical properties of crude polysaccharide (MLHWP) obtained from an edible wild mushroom Macrocybe lobayensis (R. Heim) Pegler & Lodge. Method: Chemical characterization was accomplished with the help of spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, HPTLC and GC-MS. Immunomodulatory activity of the crude polysaccharide and its signalling mechanism was assessed using RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, antioxidant activity was analysed based on radical scavenging, metal ion chelating and reducing effect. Key findings: Compositional study revealed that MLHWP possessed triple helical structure and its backbone consisted of β-linked glucan along with xylose, rhamnose, mannose and galactose. Investigation on bioactive potency revealed that MLHWP augmented macrophage activity in terms of viability, phagocytosis, NO and ROS generation. Gene expression studies indicated that MLHWP signalled through TLR and modulated expression of immunomodulation-related genes including NF-κB, COX-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, iNOS and Iκ-βα. Besides, MLHWP displayed noticeable antioxidant potential as reflected in all investigating assays. Conclusions: Overall, the results portrayed possibility of MLHWP as pharmaceutical agent with multidimensional application. © 2019 Royal Pharmaceutical Society

KRISHNENDU ACHARYA

Botany

S GHOSH

S KHATUA

University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University or CU) is a collegiate public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.&nbsp;Within India it is recognized as a &quot;Five-Star University&quot; and accredited &quot;A&quot; Grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

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The University of Calcutta has secured the Fifth position among the Universities of India in the prestigious &quot;Indian University Ranking 2019&quot; list, released by the NIRF of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

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It was established on 24 January 1857, and was one of the first institutions in Asia to be established as a multidisciplinary and Western-style university. Its alumni and faculty include several heads of state, heads of government, social reformers, prominent artists, only academy award winner and Dirac medal winner in India, many Fellows of the Royal Society and five Nobel laureates as of 2019 which is highest in South Asia.

University Of Calcutta

Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology

Over the generations, Macrocybe lobayensis has become an integral part of tribal cuisines of India particularly for its aroma and taste. However, no investigation has been carried out so far on its secondary metabolites that may account for therapeutic potential. Therefore, aim of the present study was to identify major constituents of methanol extract isolated from the wild mushroom and examine spectrum of pharmacological activities. Chemical characterization by spectrophotometer and HPLC depicted that the fraction was mainly consisted of phenolic compounds (p-hydroxybenzoic acid &lt; p-coumaric acid &lt; cinnamic acid &lt; salicylic acid &lt; pyrogallol); while ascorbic acid and carotenoids were detected in lesser extent. In terms of screening medicinal prospects, the extract presented strong radical scavenging activity (DPPH. and ABTS· + ), chelating ability of ferrous ion, reducing power and total antioxidant capacity. The methanol formulation also exhibited antibacterial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, with MIC values ranging from 245.13-1585.81 μg/ml. Finally, Hep3B human liver carcinoma cells were challenged with the extract to assess cytotoxic effect and result showed concentration dependent decrease in cell viability (IC 50 of 234.31 μg/ml). Overall, features described in this work provides the first attempt to establish medicinal prospects of phenolic compounds from M. lobayensis empowering its use in pharmaceutical industry. © 2017 Somanjana Khatua et al.

Fulltext

Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science

Chemical composition and biological activities of methanol extract from Macrocybe lobayensis

Mushrooms have been prized by humankind as medicine and culinary wonder since antiquity. Though several species are ethnically valued; many prospective species are still being discovered. One such wild macrofungus has recently been discovered during subsequent field surveys in West Bengal, India which in turn exposed as a traditionally consumed popular myco-food. The collected taxon was found to be unique with regard to its morphological as well as genetical features. After detailed characterizations, the fungus was identified as a novel taxon belonging to the genus Russula (Russulaceae, Basidiomycota). Besides, the investigation was further extended in search of new functional ingredients and in this context, a water soluble crude polysaccharide rich extract (Rusalan) was isolated from dried basidiocarps. Accumulating evidences from GC-MS, HPTLC, FT-IR along with several spectrophotometric methods postulated that the fraction consisted mainly of carbohydrate in triple helical conformation, where glucose was the major monosaccharide mostly with ss-type glycosidic linkage. Conversely, Rusalan showed pronounced antioxidant activity in six in vitro assay systems with EC50 value ranging from 190-1328 mu g/ml concentration. The crude polysaccharide was also evaluated against six bacterial strains using microdilution method and the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were found to be inhibited effectively. In addition, immune-stimulatory assays demonstrated that Rusalan could evidently promote proliferation, induce phagocytosis, release NO, produce intracellular ROS and upregulate mRNA expression of iNOS, TNF-alpha, COX-2, as well as IL-6 genes in in mouse macrophage cells. Therefore, aim of the present study was not only to describe a new taxon to the world mycoflora but also to introduce a potent therapeutic agent that could be explored for food and pharmaceutical purposes. However, isolation of active component and in vivo studies need to be designed further.

PLoS ONE

Introducing a novel mushroom from mycophagy community with emphasis on biomedical potency

Polysaccharides from mushrooms are potentially active pharmaceutical ingredients and their action is dependent upon conformation, composition, size etc. In this context, three water soluble crude polysaccharide rich fractions viz. hot water extracted polysaccharide (HWP), cold alkaline extracted polysaccharide (CAP) and hot alkaline extracted polysaccharide (HAP) have been isolated using varying extraction parameters from Macrocybe gigantea, a well-known edible mushroom collected from Gangetic plain of West Bengal and authenticated by DNA barcoding of nrDNA ITS region. Physico-chemical investigation revealed that the fractions were mainly composed of β-configuration in pyranose form of sugars conjugated with small amount of protein. Further analysis presented that polysaccharides were composed of same monosaccharide even in similar order of ratio (D-glucose > D-galactose > D-mannose > D-xylose). However, D-glucose as well as β-glucan were found to be in the highest amount in CAP. The helical structure was determined by Congo red assay which indicated that polysaccharides were in aggregate forms except HWP which consisted of tertiary structure. These diverse structural features may have imparted effect on free radical scavenging activity of polysaccharides where HWP was the most active in all assays. HWP was proved to be a good scavenger of free radicals, strong chelator of ferrous ion and had high reducing power. Thus it can be inferred that HWP may foster further studies for searching active compound which might be used as ingredients of functional foods, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge this is the first report on chemical composition and antioxidant activity of different crude polysaccharides from M. gigantea. © 2015, Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India).

Journal of Food Science and Technology

Influence of extraction parameters on physico-chemical characters and antioxidant activity of water soluble polysaccharides from Macrocybe gigantea (Massee) Pegler &amp; Lodge

A water soluble β-glucan (PS) with an average molecular weight ∼1.95 × 105 Da was isolated from the alkaline extract of ectomycorrhizal edible mushroom, Russula albonigra (Krombh.) Fr. and found to consist of terminal, (1 → 3)-, (1 → 6)-, and (1 → 3,6)-linked β-d-glucopyranosyl moieties in a ratio of nearly 1:2:2:1. The structure of this PS was elucidated on the basis of total hydrolysis, methylation analysis, Smith degradation, partial hydrolysis, and 1D/2D NMR experiments. On the basis of these experiments, the repeating unit of the PS was found to contain a backbone of three (1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl residues, one of which was branched at O-3 position with the side chain consisting of two (1 → 3)-β-d-glucopyranosyl and a terminal β-d-glucopyranosyl residue. This PS showed in vitro macrophage activation by NO production as well as splenocytes and thymocytes proliferation. Moreover, it also exhibited potent antioxidant activities. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Journal	Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology
Publisher	Blackwell Publishing Ltd
ISSN	0022-3573
Open Access	No