Antioxidant activities of extracts and metabolites isolated from the fungus Antrodia cinnamomea.

Three different solvent partitions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate [EtOAc] and n-BuOH) of the culture broth from Antrodia cinnamomea were assayed with two different radical scavenging methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and superoxide radical scavenging (SOD) assay. The EtOAc layer exhibited the best antioxidant activity. Two major antioxidant metabolites were isolated from the active EtOAc layer.

Maleimide and maleic anhydride derivatives from the mycelia of Antrodia cinnamomea and their nitric oxide inhibitory activities in macrophages.

On cultivation of the fungus Antrodia cinnamomea (BCRC 36799) on a medium, the mycelium was extracted and evaluated for nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity. Bioactivity-directed fractionation led to the isolation of two new maleimide derivatives, antrocinnamomins A (1) and B (2), and two new maleic anhydride derivatives, antrocinnamomins C (3) and D (4), along with three known compounds, 3-isobutyl-4-[4-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)phenyl]furan-2,5-dione (5), 3-isobutyl-4-[4-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)phenyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (6), and 3-isobutyl-4-[4-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)phenyl]-1H-pyrrol-1-ol-2,5-dione (7). Structural elucidation of compounds 1-4 was carried out by spectroscopic data.

Glycosyl linkage characteristics and classifications of exo-polysaccharides of some regionally different strains of Lentinula edodes by amplified fragment length polymorphism assay and cluster analysis.

We report here the first combined amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis of genomic DNA fingerprinting data and cluster analysis of the exo-polysaccharide glycosyl linkage data of 10 regionally different strains of Lentinula edodes to compare their genetic and structural similarities and differences. In addition, the monosaccharide compositions, molecular weights, glycosyl structural linkages were investigated for the exo-polysaccharides extracted from these different phylogenetic groups of regionally different L. edodes.

Antrodia camphorata in submerged culture protects low density lipoproteins against oxidative modification.

Antrodia camphorata is well known in Taiwan as a traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we have investigated the antioxidant properties of a fermented culture broth of Antrodia camphorata (FCBA) and the aqueous extracts of mycelia from Antrodia camphorata (AEMA) on the oxidative modification of human low-density lipoproteins (LDL), as induced by either copper sulfate (CuSO(4)) or 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH). Under such oxidant stress, FCBA and AEMA appear to possess antioxidant properties with respect to oxidation of LDL in a time-and concentration-dependent manner, as assessed by inhibition of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) formation, conjugated diene production, and cholesterol degradation of oxidized LDL.