Ergothioneine as an anti-oxidative/anti-inflammatory component in several edible mushrooms

Abstract

We measured the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of hot water extracts prepared from 11 species of mushrooms. Anti-oxidative activity was evaluated using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity method, and anti-inflammatory activity was examined by measuring the inhibition of lysine chloramine formation by hypochlorous acid. Hot water extracts of Grifola gargal (G. gargal) showed the strongest anti-oxidative activity and inhibitory effects on lysine chloramines. Hot water extracts of G. gargal were evaluated by HPLC and divided into 8 fractions. The most active fraction among these 8 fractions was further purified by preparative HPLC. The active component isolated by HPLC was identified as ergothioneine (EGT) using spectral analysis. On HPLC analysis, the EGT content in G. gargal was the highest among the 11 species of mushrooms. We also examined the protective role of EGT by examining the inflammatory response of adipocyte cells induced by tumor necrosis factor-α.