Research on the application of Thelephora ganbajun exopolysaccharides in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and spot-fading cosmetics

Thelephora ganbajun exopolysaccharides (TGEP) with a "coral-like" branched chain structure (main chain diameter ∼ 80 nm) were prepared by liquid fermentation and fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography. The main fraction (TGEP-2) with the highest in vitro antioxidant capacity was composed of Glc, Man, Gal, GalA, GlcA, Ara, Rha, GlcN, Fuc and Rib in a molar ratio of 465.43:420.43:219.14:188.43:37:35.14:31.43:19.43:11.14:1, with a molecular weight of 1.879 × 104 Da. The sequence of monosaccharide residue release revealed that Gal, Glc and Ara residues were more distributed in the side-branch chains and at their ends, whereas Man and GalA residues were more distributed in the main chains. TGEP-2 contained linear residues (mainly →4)-Glcp-(1 → and →4)-Manp-(1→), branch residues (→3,6)-Glcp-(1→, →4,6)-Glcp-(1 → and →3,6)-Galp-(1→) and terminal residues (Galp-(1→, Manp-(1 → and Glcp-(1→). TGEP-2 consisted of α- and β-glycosidically linked pyranosides, with a triple helical conformation and many long branches. Zebrafish oxidative stress and inflammation models found that TGEP-2 had antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The zebrafish skin black spot assay showed that TGEP-2 inhibited melanin formation. Therefore, extracellular polysaccharides of T. ganbajun have strong application potential in anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and skin spot-fading functions cosmetics.

The production of broad-spectrum antibiotics from phytopathogen Epicoccum sorghinum by culturing in host edible mushroom Thelephora ganbajun extract

Metabolism of special endophytes and phytopathogens can be induced by the symbiotic interactions with the host. A phytopathogen Epicoccum sorghinum cultured in host mushroom Thelephora ganbajun medium exhibited different metabolites compared with that of ordinary medium. An unprecedented scaffold possessing the same substructure as perylenequinone mycotoxin, a first methyl rearrangement product of phytotoxin, epoxydon 6-methylsalicylate ester, three undescribed compounds, and an undescribed natural product were isolated from E. sorghinum cultured in T. ganbajun. Episorin A and epicosorin A were produced from E. sorghinum induced by culturing in host medium. Episorin A was the first example of perylenequinone analogue in the natural products. These induced compounds and other metabolites showed notable antibiosis against endogenous fungi, and insect existing in mushroom. Induced episorin A showed significant inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production in LPS-activated macrophages, and anti-acetylcholinesterase with the IC₅₀ at 5.40 ± 0.25 μM, and 4.32 μM, respectively, and cytotoxicity against HL-60, A-549, SMMC-7721, MCF-7 and SW480 with IC₅₀ at 14.21 ± 0.53, 17.93 ± 0.22, 18.17 ± 0.63, 28.36 ± 0.43, and 18.20 ± 1.03 μM.

Purification, characterization, and bioactivity of two new polysaccharide fractions from Thelephora ganbajun mushroom

Two new polysaccharide fractions (TZP1-1 and TZP2-1) were obtained from the fruiting bodies of Thelephora ganbajun using DEAE-52 cellulose and Superdex 200 columns chromatography. The physiochemical characterization and biological activities of TZP1-1 and TZP2-1 were investigated. The relative molecular weight of TZP1-1 and TZP2-1 were 2.07 × 10⁶ and 4,886 Da, respectively. TZP1-1 included mannose, rhamnose, galactose, and xylose (4:1:83.9:7.5), while TZP2-1 included mannose, glucose, galactose, and xylose (5.4:1:79.0:8.1). The Congo red experiment results confirmed that TZP2-1 had triple helix conformation. Furthermore, both TZP1-1 and TZP2-1 showed a certain cytotoxicity on HeLa and SH-SY5Y cells, while they exhibited a stronger inhibitory effect on HeLa than SH-SY5Y. Besides, the cytotoxicity of TZP1-1 was better than that of TZP2-1. Moreover, both of them exhibited a moderate inhibitory effect on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. These findings could promote the application of polysaccharides from T. ganbajun. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Thelephora ganbajun is an edible fungus widely distributed in Southwestern China. T. ganbajun polysaccharides as important active ingredients have not been reported. In this current study, two polysaccharides fractions (TZP1-1 and TZP2-1) were characterized, and their cytotoxicities and antidiabetic effect were also assayed. These findings could promote polysaccharides from T. ganbajun to be better application.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the edible Basidiomycete mushroom Thelephora ganbajun

The complete mitochondrial genome of the edible fungus Thelephora ganbajun was determined using Illumina sequencing. This mitogenome is a circular molecule of 52,857 bp in length with a GC content of 25.73%. Gene prediction showed that the mitogenome codes 28 tRNAs, 2 pseudo-tRNAs, and 21 known and 7 hypothetical proteins. The evolutionary relationships between Th. ganbajun and other representative species based on the mitogenome are consistent with those based on nuclear genes. The mitogenome information of Th. ganbajun should contribute to our understanding of the diversity and evolution of Thelephorales.

Extraction of Natural Antioxidants from the Thelephora ganbajun Mushroom by an Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Technique and Evaluation of Antiproliferative Activity of the Extract against Human Cancer Cells

The Thelephora ganbajun mushroom has been found to be a potential rich source of natural antioxidants. In this study, an ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) technique together with GRAS (generally recognized as safe) solvents (ethanol and water) was used to maximize the extraction of antioxidants from Thelephora ganbajun. Five extraction parameters (ethanol concentration, solvent to solid ratio, extraction time, temperature and ultrasound power) were investigated by single-factor experiments, and then a central composite rotatable design was employed to study interaction of three key extraction parameters. The optimum conditions were as follows: 57.38% ethanol, 70.15 mL/g solvent to solid ratio, 10.58 min extraction time, 40 °C extraction temperature and 500 W ultrasound power. Under the optimum conditions, the antioxidant activity obtained was 346.98 ± 12.19 µmol Trolox/g DW, in accordance with the predicted value of 344.67 µmol Trolox/g DW. Comparison of UAE with conventional maceration and Soxhlet extraction, the UAE method showed stronger extract efficiency in a shorter extraction time. These results showed that UAE was an effective technique to extract antioxidants from Thelephora ganbajun. Furthermore, the extracts obtained under the optimized conditions exhibited antiproliferative activities toward human lung (A549), breast (MCF-7), liver (HepG2) and colon (HT-29) cancer cells, especially for liver and lung cancer cells. In addition, rutin, 2-hydrocinnamic acid and epicatechin were identified in the extract, which might contribute to antioxidant and antiproliferative activities.