New Compound Found in Edible Mushroom May Pave the Way for Antioxidant-Based Medicines

Investigators at Shinshu University discovered an antioxidant phenolic compound in Laetiporuscremeiporus (L cremeiporus), an edible mushroom, which may be used as a component in new pharmaceuticals, according to a study published in the journal Heliyon.¹ The compound is calledinaoside A, and its discovery could lead to the development of therapeutic bioactive compounds to treat numerous health conditions.

“To date, there has been only one prior report on the biological function of an extract of L cremeiporus. We are the first to uncover the isolation of an antioxidant compound from L cremeiporus," said Atsushi Kawamura, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomolecular Innovation, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, at Shinshu University, in the press release.

The compound is calledinaoside A, and its discovery could lead to the development of therapeutic bioactive compounds to treat numerous health conditions. Image credit: © Gerry - stock.adobe.com

There has been a push in research toward finding natural and novel bioactive compounds that can be used therapeutically. The Laetiporus genus of mushrooms could be a potential target, as the mushrooms contain naturally occurring antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antithrombin bioactivities in its extract. For instance, an East Asian species of Laetiporus cremeiporus (Laetiporus) already has known antioxidant.

However, no studies have yet identified the specific antioxidant compounds. In this study, investigators collected extracts from the fruit of the mushroom L cremeiporus, concentrated the extracts between water and ethyl acetate, then used chromatographic techniques to isolate 4 compounds from the extract: inaoside A, 5'-S-methyl-5'-thioadenosine (MTA), nicotinamide, and adenosine.

Investigators next identified the molecular signature and structure of inaoside A, which were C17H24O7 and planar, respectively. Then they isolated the 4 mushroom extracts into fractions to determine antioxidant activities. Inaoside A had the most antioxidant properties by far (it had 80% inhibition at 100 μg/mL on the DPPH radical scavenging) and it had a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 79.9 μM, meaning it has high potency.

There are 2000 known species of mushrooms, a type of macrofungi that are part of the Basidiomycetes group. Mushrooms can grow above or below ground, and certain species have been eaten as a nutritious, and often valued, part of many different types of cuisines. Two thousand years ago, people in China were using mushrooms for therapeutic purposes; in recent days, an increasing number of studies are looking at the pharmacological potential of mushrooms.²

There are continued research efforts looking at the chemical compositions and biological properties of these compounds, Kawamura explained. “Our goal is to uncover the potential of edible mushrooms as functional foods through this discovery," Kawamura said in the news release.¹

REFERENCES

1. Unveiling Inaoside A: An antioxidant derived from mushrooms. Shinshu University. News March 11, 2024. Accessed on March 19, 2024. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240311145850.htm#:~:text=In%20a%20pioneering%20study%2C%20researchers%20from%20Shinshu%20University%20discovered%20Inaoside,source%20of%20therapeutic%20bioactive%20compounds.

2. Chun S, Gopal J, Muthu M. Antioxidant Activity of Mushroom Extracts/Polysaccharides—Their Antiviral Properties and Plausible AntiCOVID-19 Properties. (Basel). 2021 Dec; 10(12): 1899. Published online 2021 Nov 26. doi: 10.3390/antiox10121899