Anti-inflammatory and related pharmacological activities of the n-BuOH subfraction of mushroom Phellinus linteus

This study aimed to elucidate the anti-inflammatory and related activities of mushroom Phellinus linteus. The results show that the EtOH extract of Phellinus linteus (PLE) dose-dependently inhibited the mouse ear edema induced by croton oil. Among PLE subfractions, the n-BuOH subtraction showed highest anti-inflammatory activity in croton oil-induced ear edema test. The n-BuOH subtraction also showed highest inhibitory activity on the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. PLE could significantly reduce the number of writhing induced by acetic acid in mice, indicating that PLE possesses potent antinociceptive effect mediated by its anti-inflammatory activity. Mycelial extract of six different Phellinus strains were found to contain anti-angiogenic activity in the CAM assay. These results suggest that Phellinus linteus has anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities, in addition to its anti-angiogenic activity. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.