Randhawa_2018_Int.J.Med.Mushrooms_20_739

Pleurotus mushrooms have been used in traditional medicines to manage diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, arteriosclerosis, and nervous, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal disorders, among others. Various scientific studies have reported the presence of steroids, triterpenoids, phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and polysaccharide-protein complexes in Pleurotus mushrooms. Various in vitro and in vivo assays have shown antioxidant, antidiabetes, cholesterol-lowering, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities. This study investigated the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (through the use of a spectrophotometric method) and the antioxidant potential (on the basis of DPPH scavenging activity) of hydromethanol extracts of fresh fruiting bodies of 4 Pleurotus species. The extracts of the selected mushrooms exhibited significant correlations between acetylcholinesterase inhibition and antioxidant activity and between total phenol, flavonoid, and alkaloid contents. Among the 4 species, P. florida showed the strongest acetylcholinesterase inhibition (half-maximal inhibitory concentration, 59.13 +/- 1.37 mg/mL) and antioxidant activity (half-maximal inhibitory concentration, 239.02 +/- 0.22 mug/mL). The findings of this study demonstrate that Pleurotus mushrooms, specifically P. florida, may be considered as a potential source of antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase-inhibitory agents.