Anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extracts from edible mushrooms in LPS activated RAW 264.7 macrophages

Nowadays there is a great interest in the use of edible mushrooms as functional food since they are rich in bioactive compounds. Although their immunomostimulant activity has been largely demonstrated, their potential anti-inflammatory activity has been scarcely explored. We have investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extracts from different edible mushrooms species: Agaricus bisporus, Boletus edulis, Cantherellus cibarius, Cratarellus cornucopioides, Lactarius deliciosus and Pleurotus ostreatus, in activated macrophages. The species that exhibited higher anti-inflammatory activities were A. bisporus, C. cibarius and L deliciosus, inducing inhibition of NO production and iNOS, IL-1 beta and 116 mRNAs expression in response to LPS stimulation. C. cornucopioides only induced inhibition of NO production and iNOS expression, and the other species did not present anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, some edible mushrooms species have a potential anti-inflammatory capacity in vitro, suggesting that they could be regarded as a potential source of natural anti-inflammatory agents. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.