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Isolation and Purification of Two Isoflavones from Hericium erinaceum Mycelium by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography

Summary

This research discovered and isolated two important plant compounds (isoflavones) from lion’s mane mushroom for the first time using an advanced separation technique. These compounds are known to have health benefits including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Impact on everyday life: – Provides new understanding of the beneficial compounds in medicinal mushrooms – Could lead to improved supplements and natural health products – Demonstrates potential new sources for obtaining beneficial isoflavones – May help explain some of the traditional medicinal uses of lion’s mane mushroom

Background

Hericium erinaceum, commonly called monkey head mushroom or lion’s mane mushroom, is a wood-rotting fungi belonging to the Hericiaceae family. It is traditionally used as both an edible mushroom and herbal medicine in East Asian countries, with reported bioactivities including anti-oxidant, immune regulatory, anti-aging, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. While flavonoids are known to be present in H. erinaceum and contribute to its antioxidant activities, specific flavonoid species had not been previously identified.

Objective

To develop and optimize a high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method for separating and purifying isoflavones from H. erinaceum mycelium, and to identify the chemical structures of the isolated compounds.

Results

Two isoflavones were successfully isolated and identified: 23 mg of genistein (4′,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone) with 95.7% purity and 18 mg of daidzein (4′,7-dihydroxyisoflavone) with 97.3% purity were obtained from 150 mg of ethanolic extract of H. erinaceum mycelium. This marks the first time these specific isoflavones have been isolated from H. erinaceum mycelium.

Conclusion

The study successfully demonstrated that HSCCC is an effective method for separating and purifying isoflavones from H. erinaceum mycelium. The identification of genistein and daidzein in H. erinaceum mycelium represents a novel finding, as these compounds had not previously been isolated from this species.
  • Published in:Molecules,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.3390/molecules23030560
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