Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate in vitro the anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of three low molecular weight subfractions I, II and III isolated from secondary metabolites produced by the wood degrading fungus Cerrena unicolor. The present study demonstrated that the low molecular weight subfractions III exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity towards breast carcinoma cells MDA-MB-231, prostatic carcinoma cells PC3, and breast cancer cells MCF7 with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 52,25 μg/mL, 60,66 μg/mL, and 54,92 μg/mL, respectively. The highest percentage of inhibition was noted at a concentration of 300 μg/mL in all the examined tumor lines. A significant percentage (59.08%) of ex-LMSIII inhibition of the MDA-MB-231 tumor line was reached at a concentration of 15 μg/ml, while the concentration applied did not affect normal human fibroblast cells. The low molecular weight subfraction III was the most effective and additionally showed the highest free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl scavenging activity (IC50 20.39 μg/mL) followed by the low molecular weight subfraction I (IC50 64.14 μg/mL) and II (IC50 49.22 μg/mL). The antibacterial activity of the tested preparations was evaluated against three microorganisms: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The MIC minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for the low molecular weight subfraction I, II, and III showed a stronger inhibition effect on S. aureus than on B. subtilis and E. coli cells. The MIC values for the low molecular weight subfraction II against S. aureus, B. subtilis, and E. coli were 6.25, 12.5, and 100 mg/mL, respectively.
Highlights
Medicinal mushrooms have long been used in Asian countries due to their bioactivities such as anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, antineurodegenerative, antidiabetic, antiangiogenic, and hypoglycemic effects in animals and in humans [1,2,3,4]
The results presented in our earlier paper show that laccase and total extracellular low molecular weight subfraction (ex-LMS) produced by C. unicolor species possess cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity against cervical cancer cells (SiHa and CaSki) and Anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of low molecular weight subfractions from C. unicolor melanomic cells [30,31]
Our results have indicated that laccase (LAC), crude endopolysaccharides (c-EPL), and the extracellular low molecular weight subfraction exhibit pro- and antioxidant properties as well as immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer activities [30,31,32,33]
Summary
Medicinal mushrooms have long been used in Asian countries due to their bioactivities such as anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, antineurodegenerative, antidiabetic, antiangiogenic, and hypoglycemic effects in animals and in humans [1,2,3,4]. One of the most widely investigated groups of preparations isolated from higher fungi (Basidiomycota), especially wood degrading species, are enzymes involved in degradation of the lignocellulose complex, where oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes cooperate, including laccases, peroxidases and other oxidases, (hemi)cellulases, and different glycosidases [10,11] Bioactive proteins constitute another important type of functional components in mushrooms with an increasing potential pharmaceutical value [12]. Hu et al (2011) demonstrated that the fruiting bodies of the mushroom Agrocybe cylindracea produce a laccase with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory activity and antiproliferative activity against HepG2 cells and MCF7 cells [13] Another very well-studied group of fungal bioactive compounds comprises polysaccharides [14,15,16]. Some authors have described isolation of various extracellular polyphenols with antioxidant properties, e.g. from the culture broth of Inonotus xeranticus, Phellinus linteus [27], and Ramaria flava [4]
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