Hericium erinaceus: Combining traditional uses with modern biotechnology to develop nutraceuticals

In this paper, we report the results of a proximate analysis (i.e., moisture, ash, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and energy); a bioactive compounds analysis (i.e., cordycepin and ergothioneine); fatty and amino acid analysis; and analyses of vitamin content, macro- and microelement composition of fruiting body (FB), and mycelial biomass (MB) of medicinal caterpillar fungus Cordyceps militaris strain CBS-132098. These results demonstrate that the FB and MB of C. militaris are good sources of proteins: 59.8% protein content in the FB and 39.5% in the MB. The MB was distinguished by its carbohydrate content (39.6%), which was higher than that of the FB (29.1% carbohydrate). In the FB of C. militaris, the total amino acid content was 57.39 mg/g and in the MB it was 24.98 mg/g. The quantification of the identified fatty acids indicated that palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid were the major fatty acids. The micro- and macroelement compositions were studied. The highest results were calcium (797 mg/kg FB; 11 mg/kg MB); potassium (15,938 mg/kg FB 12,183 mg/kg MB); magnesium (4,227 mg/kg FB; 3,414 mg/kg MB); sodium (171 mg/kg FB; 1,567 mg/kg MB); phosphorus (7,196 mg/kg FB; 14,293 mg/kg MB); and sulfur (5,088 mg/kg FB; 2,558 mg/kg MB). The vitamin composition was studied, and the most abundant vitamins were vitamin A, vitamin B3, and vitamin E. The bioactive components were cordycepin, cordycepic acid (D-mannitol), and ergothioneine. There were differences in cordycepin and ergothioneine contents between the FB and the MB. The cordycepin concentration was 0.11% in the FB and 0.182% in the MB, the cordycepic acid was 4.7 mg/100g in the FB and 5.2 mg/100 g in the MB, and the ergothioneine content was 782.37 mg/kg in the FB and 130.65 mg/kg in the MB. The nutritional values of the FB and the MB of C. militaris detected indicate its potential use in well-balanced diets and sources of bioactive compounds.

Mushrooms have two components, the fruiting body, which encompasses the stalk and the cap, and the mycelium, which supports the fruiting body underground. The part of the mushroom most commonly consumed is the fruiting body. Given that it is more time consuming to harvest the fruiting body versus simply the mycelia, we were interested in understanding the difference in metabolite content between the fruiting bodies and mycelia of four widely consumed mushrooms in Taiwan: Agrocybe cylindracea (AC), Coprinus comatus (CC), Hericium erinaceus (HE), and Hypsizygus marmoreus (HM). In total, we identified 54 polar metabolites using 1H NMR spectroscopy that included sugar alcohols, amino acids, organic acids, nucleosides and purine/pyrimidine derivatives, sugars, and others. Generally, the fruiting bodies of AC, CC, and HM contained higher amounts of essential amino acids than their corresponding mycelia. Among fruiting bodies, HE had the lowest essential amino acid content. Trehalose was the predominant carbohydrate in most samples except for the mycelia of AC, in which the major sugar was glucose. The amount of adenosine, uridine, and xanthine in the samples was similar, and was higher in fruiting bodies compared with mycelia, except for HM. The organic acid and sugar alcohol content between fruiting bodies and mycelia did not tend to be different. Although each mushroom had a unique metabolic profile, the metabolic profile of fruiting bodies and mycelia were most similar for CC and HE, suggesting that the mycelia of CC and HE may be good replacements for their corresponding fruiting bodies. Additionally, each mushroom species had a unique polar metabolite fingerprint, which could be utilized to identify adulteration.

Natural products are sources for exploratory development of new agents to combat the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. Some edible fungi, such as the lion's mane mushroom, have been used for several thousand years to treat digestive diseases. Ethanol-based extractions to prepare Hericium erinaceus extracts were tested for growth inhibition ability of six different H. pylori strains at an extract concentration that did not inhibit Escherichia coli growth, and further for dose-dependent antibactericidal capacity on H. pylori. H. erinaceus extract exhibited similar growth inhibitory effects on all H. pylori strains tested, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of about 2 mg/mL. H. pylori survival in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was decreased 3 logs by 2 mg/mL extract addition. H. erinaceus extract inhibited H. pylori adhesion capacity to human gastric epithelial cell line (ATCC CRL-1739) (AGS), even when H. erinaceus extract was added at a concentration that affected neither H. pylori nor AGS viability. Interleukin-8 (IL-8, representing an immune response factor) in supernatants from AGS and 8-oxo-guanine (8-oxoG, a marker for oxidative DNA damage among the total host cell DNA) were measured from AGS cells exposed to H. erinaceus extract before H. pylori addition. The subsequent H. pylori-mediated immune response (IL-8 production) was significantly (P < 0.01) decreased by H. erinaceus extract; at 1.0 mg/mL extract addition, IL-8 expression returned to nearly background level (no H. pylori added). H. pylori infection of AGS caused a 3-fold increase in host 8-oxoG, but this increase was abolished by including 2 mg/mL H. erinaceus extract. Mouse colonization assays of C57BL mice were performed on homogenized stomachs 3 weeks after inoculating H. pylori into the animals; mice receiving the H. erinaceus extract had a mean H. pylori load of 6 × 104 CFU/g of stomach, about 1 log lower than the control (no extract) animals.

Hericium erinaceus (HE) is a large edible medicinal fungus. Erinacine A (ErA) is a secondary metabolite presented in the mycelia of HE, with pharmacological effects as a nerve growth factor on the central nervous system. In this study, solid-state cultivation of HE was carried out in Petri dishes and glass jars for the production of mycelial biomass and ErA. The potato dextrose agar (PDA) had the highest mycelial biomass at an optimal temperature of 25 °C, but no ErA was found in the agar media. In glass jar cultivation, the mycelial biomass and specific yield of ErA in different substrates, particle sizes, substrate weights, nitrogen sources, and inorganic salts were investigated. The ErA was purified by a self-pack silica gel column and a semi-preparative HPLC and was identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer. The best conditions for solid-state cultivation of HE when using corn kernel as substrate, particle size less than 2.38 mm, and addition of 10mM ZnSO4, 7H2O, mycelial biomass of 50.24 mg cell dry weight/g substrate was obtained, in addition, the specific yield of ErA could reach 165.36 mg/g cell dry weight.

Aim. The detection of basidiomycete influence on the growth of opportunistic microorganisms. Materials and methods. Antmicrobial activity of fruiting bodies, their extracts and vegetative mycelium of five commercial strains of medicinal basidiomycetes Ganoderma lucidum (Сurtis) P. Karst ONU F101, Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm. ONU F101, Lentinus edodes (Berk) Singer ONU F401, Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer ONU F601, Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. ONU F601 has been detected by agar diffusion method. Pseudomonas aeruginosa АТСС 27853, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 6896, Micrococcus luteus ATCC 4698, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Candida albicans ATCC were used as the test-objects. Results. The widest activity spectrum has been detected for L. edodes. It has been shown that in some cases antimicrobial exometabolites are secreted at the mycelium stage but not the fruiting body stage. Obtaining of the extracts from the fruiting bodies of fungi may in some cases lead to reduced activity. Conclusions. Despite the traditional use of fruiting bodies of fungi as a source of biologically active compounds the range of substances with antimicrobial properties can be significantly extended by the use of fungi in various stages of their life cycle, in particular during vegetative mycelium stage.

Detection of quantitative trait loci underlying fruiting body and yield-related traits in Hericium erinaceus

Hericium erinaceus (commonly known as lion’s mane mushroom) is an edible mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a prolific producer of diverse bioactive metabolites with neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties (e.g. β glucan polysaccharides, hericenones, erinacine terpenoids, isoindolinones, sterols, and myconutrients). Because of its anti inflammatory properties and promotion of nerve growth factor (NGF) gene expression and neurite (axon or dendrite) outgrowth, H. erinaceus is used for the treatment of Alzheimer's as well as Parkinson's diseases. This review provides a comprehensive account of the bioactive compounds from H. erinaceus (both from the fruit bodies and mycelia) and their biological activities such as neuroprotective functions, cytotoxicity, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and herbicidal activities.

BackgroundLion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) mycelium produces erinacines, a suite of cyathane diterpenoids with established neuroactivities. While H. erinaceus fruit body tissue has its own characteristic secondary metabolites, it generally does not produce detectable amounts of erinacines. Substrate composition influences the erinacine content of H. erinaceus mycelial cultures, similar to production of secondary metabolites in other fungi. This study explored the relationship between biosynthetic gene expression and erinacine content in H. erinaceus, comparing fruit body tissue to mycelial tissue cultured in two liquid media formulations.ResultsIn this study, we compared erinacine production in H. erinaceus fruit body to mycelial tissue cultivated in two liquid media formulations (Complex and Minimal) by quantifying mRNA transcript levels of the erinacine biosynthetic genes eriE, eriG, eriI, eriC, eriJ, eriB, and eriM (collectively, eri genes) alongside high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) evaluation of erinacines Q, P, A, and C. We also predicted coding sequences for these seven eri genes. The Complex media preparation yielded mycelium with significantly higher erinacine C content, while the Minimal media yielded mycelium with greater erinacine Q content, suggesting an alteration of the biosynthetic pathway related to differences in substrate composition. Despite evident differences in erinacine concentrations, mycelial eri gene transcript levels did not differ significantly between the two liquid media preparations. When evaluated by gene expression or compound concentration, erinacine biosynthesis was substantially greater in mycelia compared to fruit body tissue in H. erinaceus.ConclusionsAlongside the absence of detectable erinacines within fruit body samples, eri gene transcripts were consistently downregulated in the fruit body compared to the mycelium, particularly at early stages of the biosynthetic pathway. Substrate composition is a critical factor in production of erinacines by H. erinaceus, and large differences in mycelial erinacine content can occur without significant differences in expression of eri genes. Our data support the hypothesis that production of fungal secondary metabolites can be influenced by tissue type and substrate components, and that the expression of eri genes is enriched in the mycelium when compared to the fruit body.

Neurotrophic factors are essential to maintain and organize neurons functionally; thereby neurotrophic factor-like substances or their inducers are expected to be applied to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we firstly examined the effects of ethanol extracts of four edible mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus (Yamabushitake), Pleurotus eryngii (Eringi), Grifola frondosa (Maitake), and Agaricus blazei (Himematsutake), on nerve growth factor (NGF) gene expression in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. Among the four mushroom extracts, only H. erinaceus extract promoted NGF mRNA expression in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, secretion of NGF protein from 1321N1 cells was enhanced by H. erinaceus extracts, and the conditioned medium of 1321N1 cells incubated with H. erinaceus extract enhanced the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. However, hericenones C, D and E, constituents of H. erinaceus, failed to promote NGF gene expression in 1321N1 cells. The enhancement of NGF gene expression by H. erinaceus extracts was inhibited by the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125. In addition, H. erinaceus extracts induced phosphorylation of JNK and its downstream substrate c-Jun, and increased c-fos expression, suggesting that H. erinaceus promotes NGF gene expression via JNK signaling. Furthermore we examined the efficacy of H. erinaceus in vivo. ddY mice given feed containing 5% H. erinaceus dry powder for 7 d showed an increase in the level of NGF mRNA expression in the hippocampus. In conclusion, H. erinaceus contains active compounds that stimulate NGF synthesis via activation of the JNK pathway; these compounds are not hericenones.

Characterization of α-glucosidase inhibitory constituents of the fruiting body of lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus)

Animal studies have suggested that Lion's Mane mushroom [Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers.] can enhance cognitive function and mood due to its bioactive metabolites, including erinacines and hericenones. However, despite being an ingredient used both culinarily and therapeutically in the East, and more and more commonly in the West, limited research has focused on the immediate effects of H. erinaceus on the cognitive function and mood of healthy young adults. In an acute randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over intervention study, we investigated the potential benefits of an acute dose of H. erinaceus fruiting body extract (3g of 10:1 extract) on cognitive performance and mood compared to a placebo. Eighteen healthy participants aged 18 to 35 years took part in the study. At baseline and 90 minutes post-consumption of the interventions, cognitive and mood assessments were administered to measure various cognitive abilities such as executive function, working memory, psychomotor skills, attention and information processing speed as well as positive and negative affect. The results showed no significant effect of the H. erinaceus fruiting body extract for composite measures of global cognitive function and mood. However, when analysing individual tests, participants exhibited improved performance on the pegboard test at 90 minutes following a single dose of H. erinaceus. In conclusion, acute consumption of H. erinaceus fruiting body did not demonstrate a significant overall improvement in cognitive performance and mood compared to the placebo and any benefits may be task or domain specific. Further investigations should investigate the effects of chronic supplementation of H. erinaceus fruiting body on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults, as well as establish optimal dosage and the time to peak concentration of H. erinaceus bioactives in the human brain. Additionally, future research should aim to further elucidate potential mechanisms of action to explain potential brain region and cognitive domain specific effects, such as possible regional increases in cerebral blood flow following consumption of H. erinaceus fruiting bodies. It must also be noted that typically only Lion's mane fruiting bodies are consumed culinarily, where up to 300g of fresh fruiting body are often consumed in the form of mushroom steaks.

Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s mane) and Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail) mushrooms have an extensive history of use in traditional medicine and as food. Oftentimes, they are available as extract preparations produced from selected life stages such as fruiting body or mycelium. Their composition may vary based on where they are grown and the conditions of post-harvest preparation. Despite their widespread traditional use and popularity, comprehensive toxicological assessments, particularly of whole mushroom powders, remain limited. This study was conducted to evaluate whether the commercially available Organic Lion’s Mane M2-102-10 powder (H. erinaceus mycelial biomass and fruiting body cultured on oats) and Organic Turkey Tail M2-101-03 powder (Trametes versicolor mycelial biomass and primordia cultured on oats) cause acute toxicity, subchronic toxicity, and genotoxicity in rats. The tests were carried out in accordance with OECD guidelines. The results demonstrated that both Organic Lion’s Mane M2-102-10 powder and Organic Turkey Tail M2-101-03 powder did not induce acute toxicity, showed no evidence of subchronic oral toxicity in rats at doses up to 2000 mg/kg body weight/day, and exhibited no genotoxicity in either in vitro or in vivo assays.

Hericium erinaceus (HE), a culinary-medicinal mushroom, has shown therapeutic potential in many brain diseases. However, the role of HE in status epilepticus (SE)-mediated neuronal death and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the neuroprotective effects of HE using a pilocarpine-induced SE model. Male C57BL/6 mice received crude extracts of HE (60 mg/kg, 120 mg/kg, or 300 mg/kg, p.o.) for 21 d from 14 d before SE to 6 d after SE. At 7 d after SE, cresyl violet and immunohistochemistry of neuronal nuclei revealed improved hippocampal neuronal survival in animals treated with 60 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg of HE, whereas those treated with 300 mg/kg of HE showed similar neuronal death to that of vehicle-treated controls. While seizure-induced reactive gliosis, assessed by immunohistochemistry, was not altered by HE, the number of hippocampal cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2)-expressing cells was significantly reduced by 60 and 120 mg/kg of HE. Triple immunohistochemistry demonstrated no overlap of COX2 labeling with Ox42, in addition to a decrease in COX2/GFAP-co-immunoreactivity in the group treated with 60 mg/kg HE, suggesting that the reduction of COX2 by HE promotes neuroprotection after SE. Our findings highlight the potential application of HE for preventing neuronal death after seizures.

Mushroom can be defined as a macrofungus with a distinctive fruiting body. Mushrooms of class Basidiomycete are primarily wood degradation fungi, but serve as food and a part of traditional medicine used by humans. Although their life cycle is fairly well-established, the information on the molecular components, especially proteins are very limited. Here, we report proteomics analysis of two edible mushrooms (fruiting bodies) Sparassis crispa and Hericium erinaceum using one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1-DGE and 2-DGE) based complementary proteomics approaches. 1-DGE coupled with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry identified 77 (60 nonredundant proteins) and 121 (88 nonredundant proteins) proteins from S. crispa and H. erinaceum, respectively. 2-DGE analysis revealed 480 and 570 protein spots stained with colloidal coomassie brilliant blue in S. crispa and H. erinaceum, respectively. Of the 71 and 115 selected protein spots from S. crispa and H. erinaceum 2D gel blots on polyvinyldifluoride (PVDF) membranes, respectively, 29 and 35 nonredundant proteins were identified by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. Identified nonredundant proteins from 1- or 2-DGE belonged to 19 functional categories. Twenty-one proteins were found common in both S. crispa and H. erinaceum proteomes, including 14-3-3 protein and septin. Together this study provides evidence for the presence of a large number of functionally diverse proteins, expressed in the fruiting body of two economically important mushrooms, S. crispa and H. erinaceum. Data obtained from 1-DGE and 2-DGE analyses is accessible through the mushroom proteomics portal http://foodfunc.agr.ibaraki.ac.jp/mushprot.html.

We analyzed the proximate composition, total dietary fiber, minerals, free amino acids, free sugars, free sugar alcohol, organic acids and nucleotides in the fruiting body, Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceum) , cultivated on a sawdust substrate bed with differentstrains and supplements in order to make it clear that the cultivation conditions affectthe contents of the fruiting body. The protein, fat, total dietary fiber and nucleotide contentin the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceum showed differences according to thedifferent strains and supplements. And also the mineral, free amino acid, free sugar, freesugaralchol and organic acid content indicated remarkable differences among the differentstrains and supplements, but the major components and their ratio showed the sametendencies regardless of strain and supplements.