Mushroom extracts with antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation

Methanol and water extracts, with antioxidant activity, from two edible mushrooms (Lentinus edodes and Volvariella volvacea) were subfractionated by liquid-liquid partition using organic solvents and by membrane ultrafiltration, respectively. The dichloromethane subfraction of the methanol extract of V. volvacea and the low molecular weight (LMW) subfraction of the water extract of L. edodes had the highest antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation of rat brain homogenate with IC50 values of 0.109 and 1.05 mg/ml, respectively. The ethyl acetate subfraction of the methanol extract of V. volvacea was found to have comparable antioxidant activity (p > 0.05) to caffeic acid against the oxidation of human low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The antioxidant activities against lipid peroxidation in the above assays were found to correlate with the phenolic content in different subfractions of mushroom extracts. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.