A Multifaceted Fungus Pig’s Ears: Gomphus clavatus Gray

Abstract

Gomphus clavatus, commonly known as pig’s ears, is a species of fungi in the genus Gomphus, family Gomphaceae native to Eurasia and North America. Pig’s ear derives its name from the funnel-shaped and folded fruiting body, which resembles a pig’s ear in shape and texture. Gomphus clavatus mushrooms are edible; these are used as soup, sauce and baking dishes. Gomphus clavatus Gray is not only used as a nutritious food but also might be an important source of biologically active compounds with potential additional medical value. In recent research, the fruit bodies of Gomphus clavatus Gray were collected from the wild. A novel heteropolysaccharide, namely ‘GCG-1’, from the fruit bodies of Gomphus clavatus Gray was isolated through Sephadex G-200 and DEAEcellulose columns. Fungal polysaccharide is a type of active organic compound that is composed of long chains of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. Recently, an increasing number of fungal polysaccharides have been identified to show a variety of biological activities, including antitumor and antioxidant properties. Antioxidation test in GCG-1 in vitro showed that it has strong free radical scavenging activity. It suggests that Gomphus clavatus can be considered as a medicinal food with antioxidant activities.