Medicinal Mushrooms

Cyathus striatus growing in wood chips, Saskatoon, Canada, Sept 2007.
    Credit: Robert Sasata, © healing-mushrooms.net

Synonyms

Nidularia striata (Huds.) With.
Peziza striata Huds.

Common names

Fluted Bird's Nest
Splash Cups

Description

Fruiting body: 5-15 mm tall, 4-8 mm wide at the top; cone-shaped to cup-shaped. The outer surface is coarsely hairy. Has reddish-brown to chocolate brown to gray-brown fruiting bodies with distinct lines or grooves on the inner surface. Contains several thin, gray to grayish-brown oval ‘eggs’ (peridioles), 0.5-2 mm wide. The peridioles are attached to the cup by a cord, called a funiculus. It is easy to miss these oddball fungi because of their small size, and because their color tends to blend into the surroundings.
Habitat: grows on decaying wood, small twigs and other vegetable debris.

Medicinal Properties
Antibiotic activity

Antibiotics named striatins A, B, and C were isolated from the mycelium of Cyathus striatus. The striatins are active against a variety of Gram-positive bacteria, some Gram-negative bacteria, and highly active against fungi imperfecti (Anke and Oberwinkler, 1977). The chemical structures of these antibiotics have been elaborated using X-ray crystallography (Hecht et al., 1978). A later study investigated the optimization of striatin production using fermentation technology (Gehrig et al., 1998). Striatins A and B were tested in culture media against various forms of Leishmania species and Trypanosoma cruzi. These protozoa cause diseases that are responsible for considerable mortality and morbidity, especially in tropical areas. Striatins A and B showed in vitro activity at 10 and 5 µg/ml, respectively. BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis were treated 3 weeks post-infection with striatins A or B (daily dose of 10 mg/kg, subcutaneously, for 15 days). Treatment with the reference drug, N-methylglucamine antimonite (an anti-leishmanial drug with known properties), reduced the parasite burden by 71.2%. Treatment with striatin A slightly decreased the parasite burden in the footpad by 17.6%; treatment with striatin B had no effect and was more toxic than striatin A (Inchausti et al., 1997).

Anti-cancer effects

NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa B) is a protein complex that is involved in regulating the immune response to infection. Alterations in the body’s response to NF-kB has been implicated in the pathology of various diseases, including cancer. For instance, it is known that in several human cancers, the NF-kB gene regulation pathway is always turned on, disrupting normal gene expression patterns and enabling some cells to survive in conditions where others would die. Fungal extracts prepared from Cyathus striatus showed significant inhibitory effects on the NF-kB activation pathway, suggesting activities worthy of investigation as cancer therapeutics (Petrova et al. 2006).

References

Anke T, Oberwinkler F.
The striatins–new antibiotics from the basidiomycete Cyathus striatus (Huds. ex Pers.) Willd.
J Antibiot (Tokyo). 1977 30(3):221-5.
Pubmed

Ayer WA, Flanagan RJ, Reffstrup T.
Metabolites of Bird's Nest Fungi .19.
New triterpenoid carboxylic-acids from Cyathus striatus and Cyathus pygmaeus.
Tetrahedron. 1984 40(11):2069-82.

Ayer WA, Reffstrup T.
Metabolites of Bird's Nest Fungi .18.
New oxygenated cadinane derivatives from Cyathus striatus.
Tetrahedron. 1982 38(10):1409-12.

Gehrig I, Bart HJ, Anke T, Germerdonk R.
Influence of morphology and rheology on the production characteristics of the basidiomycete Cyathus striatus.
Biotechnol Bioeng. 1998 59(5):525-33.
Pubmed

Hecht HJ, Hofle G, Steglich W, Anke T, Oberwinkler F.
Striatin-A, striatin-B, and striatin-C - novel diterpenoid antibiotics from Cyathus striatus - X-Ray crystal-structure of striatin-A.
J Chem Soc-Chem Comm. 1978 (15):665-6.

Inchausti A, Yaluff G, Rojas de Arias A,Torres S, Ferreira ME, Nakayama H, Schinini A, Lorenzen K, Anke T, Fournet A.
Leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activity of extracts and secondary metabolites from basidiomycetes.
Phytother Res. 1997 11(3):193-197.

Petrova RD, Mahajna J, Reznick AZ, Wasser SP, Denchev CM, Nevo E.
Fungal substances as modulators of NF-κB activation pathway.
Mol Biol Rep. 2006.
Pubmed

 

Last modified: 31-Mar-2008

Multicolor gill polypore
Kaigaratake (Japanese)

Fruiting body: up to 10 cm in diameter; leathery and flexible; upper surface tomentose; grayish or grayish-brown with multicolored zones, often with a green algal growth.
Flesh: white; leathery to corky.
Pore surface: lamellate, with occasional pores, whitish.

Another underside view showing the gills of gilled polypore.
    Photo credit: Andrej Kunca, National Forest Centre - Slovakia.
    Source: Bugwood.org
Spore print: white.
Spores: cylindric; smooth, 4-7 x 1.5-3 µm.

This common species grows scattered or clustered on deciduous wood such as birch, beech and oak, and less frequently on coniferous woods.  Viewed from the top, it is similar in appearance to Trametes versicolor or Trametes hirsuta, sometimes with a greenish tinge from algal growth. However, it can be easily distinguished from the Trametes because it has gills instead of pores.

L. betulina has been used for haunch and femora pain, acropathy, apoplexy, and cold (Liu B. Medicinal fungi of China. Taiyuan: Sanxi People Press; 1978. p.101, 129. Cited in Ren et al., 2006)

Over fifty years ago the German scientist Lohwag demonstrated that fruiting bodies of Lenzites betulina could be grown on a medium of malt peptone agar with an admixture of beech sawdust (Lohwag, 1955).

A water extract of Lenzites betulina was first shown to demonstrate mild anti-tumor activity against sarcoma 180 (highly malignant tumor cells in mice)(Ikekawa et al., 1968).

Both the petroleum ether and the ethyl acetate extracts of Lenzites betulina were toxic to Hela (human cervix epitheloid) and SMMC-7721 (human hepatoma) tumor cell lines, compared to the positive control, quercetin. The methanol extract was also tested, but showed little cytotoxicity. The data in the table below gives the IC₅₀ values – the concentration of extract needed to kill 50% of the cells. Note that the smaller the IC₅₀ value, the greater the cytotoxic effect. The observed cytotoxic activity was likely due to fats and steroids (from the petroleum ether extract) and terpenoids (from the ethyl acetate extract). The data is summarized from Ren et al., 2006.

Extract type	Hela IC50 (µg/ml)	SMMC IC50 (µg/ml)
Petroleum ether	69.6	70.2
Ethyl acetate	50.9	48.7
Methanol	341	325
Quercetin	46.3	43.1

Two compounds isolated from the methanol extract of L. betulina, named betulinans A and B, showed free-radical scavenging activity. Because free radicals have been implicated in the origin and development of various diseases (eg. ischemia, atherosclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer-initiation), betulinans A and B have potential as protective agents. In a test of free-radical scavenging strength, Betulinan A was about four times as effective as vitamin E (Lee et al., 1996).

Immunosuppressant drugs inhibit the activity of the immune system. Clinically, they are used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs or tissues, and in the treatment or management of autoimmune diseases. The methanolic extract of Lenzites betulina was shown to contain the immunosuppressive compounds ergosterol peroxide and 9(11)-dehydroergosterol peroxide (Fujimoto et al., 1994).

The antimicrobial activities of various extracts of L. betulina were examined on the test microorganisms Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The L. betulina extracts were midly antimicrobial towards three of these microorganisms. The results are summarized in the table below. The compounds responsible for the antimicrobial activity were heat-stable (Yamac and Bilgili, 2006).

Extract type	S. aureus	S.epidermidis	B.subtilis
Chloroform	-	-	+
Ethyl acetate	-	+	+
Dichloromethane	-	-	+
Acetone	+	+	+
Ethanol	-	+	+

Ikekawa T, Nakanishi M, Uehara N., Chihara G. Fukuoka F.
Anti-tumor action of some basidiomycetes, especially Phellinus linteus.
Jap J Cancer Res. 1968 (59):155-7.

Fujimoto H, Nakayama M, Nakayama Y, Yamazaki M.
Isolation and characterization of immunosuppressive components of three mushrooms, Pisolithus tinctorius, Microporus flabelliformis and Lenzites betulina.
Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 1994 42(3):694-7.
Pubmed

Lee IK, Yun BS, Cho SM, Kim WG, Kim JP, Ryoo IJ, Koshino H, Yoo ID.
Betulinans A and B, two benzoquinone compounds from Lenzites betulina.
J Nat Prod. 1996 59(11):1090-2.
Pubmed

Ren G, Liu XY, Zhu HK, Yang SZ, Fu CX.
Evaluation of cytotoxic activities of some medicinal polypore fungi from China.
Fitoterapia. 2006 77(5):408-10.
Pubmed

Yamac M, Bilgili F.
Antimicrobial activities of fruit bodies and/or mycelial cultures of some mushroom isolates.
Pharm Biol. 2006 44(9):660-7.

 

Last modified: 31-Mar-2008

The shaggy mane, Coprinus comatus growing in wood chips.
    Credit: Robert Sasata, © healing-mushrooms.net

Common names

Shaggy mane
Shaggy ink cap
Lawyer's wig
Shaggy parasol
Spargelschopf [Asparagus Top] (German)

Cap: 2.5-5 cm wide; oval to cylindrical, aging to convex or bell-shaped; dry; with shallow grooves near the edge; white, with reddish brown scales. Flesh soft, white.
Gills: free of the stalk, very crowded together, white when very young, becoming gray, then black, and dissolving (deliquescing) with age.
Stalk: 5-20 cm long, 1-2.5 cm thick, becoming enlarged at the base; white, with a hollow interior; with a white, ring-like zone of fibers near the base.
Spore print: black.
Habitat: solitary, scattered, or clustered on lawns, in pastures, or along roadsides; spring, fall, and early winter.

The shaggy mane is a favorite amongst mushroom hunters as it is easily recognized, with no dangerous look-alikes. Furthermore, it is a delicious edible.

Shaggy manes being fried in olive oil with chopped onions.

However, be sure to cook your specimens shortly after picking; this species will auto-digest (deliquesce) and will probably not last in your refrigerator overnight.

An older specimen of C. comatus with deliquescing gills.

The chemical structure of a water-soluble fucogalactan obtained from the crude intracellular polysaccharide of Coprinus comatus mycelium was characterized by sugar and methylation analysis along with ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The polysaccharide is composed of a pentasaccharide repeating unit (Fan et al., 2006).

Medicinal Properties
Anti-tumor activity

The water extract of Coprinus comatus was recently identified as containing potent antitumor compounds for breast cancer. Because breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, and because there is no effective therapy for estrogen-independent (ER-) breast cancer, these findings are highly significant. The antitumor potential of the water extract was shown to manifest itself in three ways:

1) it inhibited the growth of both ER+ and ER- breast cancer cells
2) it induced both ER+ and ER- cells to die (apoptosis)
3) it inhibited tumor colony formation in vitro
(Gu and Leonard, 2006)

An alkaline protein named y3, purified from fruiting bodies of C. comatus, was shown to inhibit a gastric cancer cell line with an IC₅₀ of 12 µg/mL (Wu et al., 2003).

Serum lysozyme activity is used as a general indicator of immune system fitness. In addition to breaking down polysaccharides found in bacterial cell walls, lysozyme can also bind to the surface of some invading bacteria and make it easier for white blood cells to engulf them. Chinese research has shown that polysaccharide solutions extracted from C. comatus and given to mice had the ability to increase serum lysozyme activity (Li et al., 2001).

A number of studies have demonstrated that consumption of C. comatus can help regulate blood glucose concentrations. Feeding mice a diet containing powdered dried fruit bodies of C. comatus (one-third of their food intake, by weight) reduced their plasma glucose concentrations and improved intraperitoneal glucose tolerance. Also, body weight gain was halted, even though total energy intake was not substantially reduced. Plasma glucose was marginally lowered 10 hours after intragastric administration of dried C. comatus (3.6 g/kg body weight). The results suggest a slowly generated, mild hypoglycemic effect of C. comatus in normal mice, accompanied by metabolic effects capable of interrupting body weight gain (Bailey et al., 1984).

In other studies, the hypoglycemic activity of fermented mushroom of Coprinus comatus rich in vanadium was investigated. Vanadium salts have insulin-mimetic activity, and vanadium compounds are being studied as potentially orally active replacements for insulin. Vanadium salts mimic most of the effects of insulin in vitro and also induce normoglycemia and improve glucose homeostasis in insulin-deficient and insulin-resistant diabetic rodents in vivo. One study showed that Coprinus comatus fermentation liquid and sodium vanadate inhibited ascension of blood glucose in mice (Han et al., 2003). The blood glucose and the HbA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin – used to measure plasma glucose concentration) of the mice were analyzed. Also, the sugar tolerance of the normal mice was also determined. After the mice were given the vanadium-rich mushroom mycelia, the blood glucose and the HbA1c of hyperglycemic mice decreased, ascension of blood glucose induced by adrenalin was inhibited and the sugar tolerance of the normal mice was improved. Also, the body weight of the alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice was increased gradually. In the fermented mushroom of C. comatus, vanadium at lower doses in combination with C. comatus, induced significant decreases of the blood glucose and HbA1c levels in hyperglycemic mice (Han et al., 2006).

Coprinus comatus is known to contain compounds that kill nematodes (Li and Xiang, 2005). Specifically, this fungus immobilizes, kills and uses free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus and root-knot nematode Meloidogyne arenaria. It does so by making a structure called a ‘spiny ball’, a burr-like structure assembled with a large number of tiny tubes. Nematodes added to C. comatus cultures grown on nutrient agar become inactive in hours. Electron microcopy shows that C. comatus infects P. redivivus by producing penetration pegs from which hyphae colonize nematode bodies. Within days, the infected nematode is digested and consumed by mycelial hyphae. It is thought that this may be a mechanism to help the fungus thrive in nitrogen-poor environments (Luo et al., 2004).

Over fifty years ago, shaggy-manes were found to contain ergothioneine, a thiol compound with antioxidant properties (List 1957). The anti-oxidant activity was later confirmed (Badalyan et al., 2003).

The fungal antioxidant metabolite, ergothioneine.

Compositional analysis

A study of flavor compounds present in C. comatus (Dijkstra and Wiken, 1976; Djikstra, 1976) revealed a variety of compounds in the water extract from the fruit body, including:

• 3-octanone
• 3-octanol
• 1-octen-3-ol
• 1-octanol
• 2-methyl-2-penten-4-olide
• 1-dodecanol
• caprylic acid
• 5’-GMP
• glutamic acid
• n-butyric acid and isobutyric acids (putatively).

Interestingly, a mixture of 37 compounds found in the extract had a stronger flavor than the natural extract, suggesting the presence of compounds that mask or lessen the flavor intensity.

The fatty acid composition (by % ot total fatty acids) of C. comatus is summarized in the table below:

Fatty acid type	Fruit body	Stem
Saturated fatty acids	20.0	31.8
Monounsaturated fatty acids	32.3	68.6
Polyunsaturated fatty acids	26.0	61.8
Palmitoleic acid	9.63	14.6
Palmitic acid	0.199	1.77
Stearic acid	3.46	6.6
Oleic acid	6.17	5.07
Linoleic acid	25.8	59.5
Arachidic acid	1.66	3.69

Antimicrobial activity

A Russian study has revealed that various strains of the genus (formerly known as) Coprinus, including C. comatus, have antimicrobial activity (Ershova et al., 2001). I’ll post more details once I get my hands on the original article.

Badalyan CM, Gasparyan AV, Garibyan NG
[Investigation of the antioxidant activity of some basidial macromycetes]
Mikol Fitopatol. 2003 37(5):63-8. Russian

Bailey CJ, Turner SL, Jakeman KJ, Hayes WA.
Effect of Coprinus comatus on plasma glucose concentrations in mice.
Planta Med. 1984 50(6):525-6. No abstract available.
Thieme

Dijkstra FY.
Studies on mushroom flavours. 3. Some flavour compounds in fresh, canned and dried edible mushrooms.
Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1976 160(4):401-5.
Pubmed

Dijkstra FY, Wiken TO.
Studies on mushroom flavours 2. Flavour compounds in Coprinus comatus.
Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1976 160(3):263-9.
Pubmed

Ershova EY, Efremenkova OV, Zenkova VA, Tolstykh IV, Dudnik YV.
The revealing of antimicrobial activity of strains of the genus Coprinus.
Mikol Fitopatol. 2001 35(6):32-7.

Fan J, Zhang J, Tang Q, Liu Y, Zhang A, Pan Y.
Structural elucidation of a neutral fucogalactan from the mycelium of Coprinus comatus.
Carbohydr Res. 2006 341(9):1130-4.
Pubmed

Gu YH, Leonard J.
In vitro effects on proliferation, apoptosis and colony inhibition in ER-dependent and ER-independent human breast cancer cells by selected mushroom species.
Oncol Rep. 2006 15(2):417-23.
Pubmed

Han C, Yuan J, Wang Y, Li L.
Hypoglycemic activity of fermented mushroom of Coprinus comatus rich in vanadium.
J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2006 20(3):191-6.
Pubmed

Han C, Xing F, Jiang F, Wang Y.
A study on co-effects of Coprinus comatus fermentation liquid and sodium vanadate on the process of inhibiting ascension of blood glucose in mice.
Edible Fungi of China. 2003 22(1):39-40.

Li S, An L, Zhang H.
Effects of polysaccharide from Coprinus comatus on activity of serum lysozyme in Kunming mouse, China.
Edible Fungi of China. 2001 20(4):36-8.

Li Y, Xiang H.
Nematicidal activity of Coprinus comatus.
Acta Phytopathologica Sinica. 2005 35(5):456-8.

List PH.
[Occurrence of ergothioneine in shaggy-mane, Coprinus comatus.]
Arch Pharm Ber Dtsch Pharm Ges. 1957 290/62(11):517-20. German. No abstract available.
Pubmed

Luo H, Mo MH, Huang XW, Li X, Zhang KQ.
Coprinus comatus: A basidiomycete fungus forms novel spiny structures and infects nematodes.
Mycologia. 2004 96(6):1218-24.

Wu L, Wu Z, Lin Q, Xie L.
[Purification and activities of an alkaline protein from mushroom Coprinus comatus]
Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao. 2003 43(6):793-8. Chinese.
Pubmed

Yang X, Wan M, Mi K, Feng H, Chan DKO, Yang Q.
The quantification of (1, 3)-β-glucan in edible and medicinal mushroom polysaccharides by using limulus G test.
Mycosystema. 2003 22(2):296-302.

Yilmaz N, Solmaz M, Turkekul I, Elmastas M.
Fatty acid composition in some wild edible mushrooms growing in the middle Black Sea region of Turkey.
Food Chem. 2006 99(1):168-74.

 

Last updated: 31-Mar-2008