Study on Optimization of Liquid Fermentation Medium and Antitumor Activity of the Mycelium on Phyllopora lonicerae

Summary

Researchers improved the production of a medicinal fungus called Phylloporia lonicerae that grows on honeysuckle plants. They developed a better growing medium that produced more fungus in less time. They then discovered that components from this fungus can kill cancer cells, particularly lung and esophageal cancer cells, by triggering a natural cell death process called apoptosis. This work suggests the fungus could be developed into an anti-cancer functional food.

Background

Phylloporia lonicerae is an annual fungus that parasitizes living Lonicera plants with significant potential for food and medicine development. Wild resources and mycelium production are limited, and anti-tumor mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to optimize fermentation conditions and investigate anti-tumor properties.

Objective

To optimize the liquid fermentation medium for P. lonicerae production and investigate its anti-tumor activity and mechanisms. The study focused on improving biomass yield and reducing cultivation time while evaluating anti-cancer effects on multiple tumor cell lines.

Results

Optimized medium achieved 7.82 ± 0.41 g/l biomass in 15 days, representing 142% increase over control with 64% reduction in cultivation time. Alcohol extract showed superior inhibitory effects on A549 and Eca-109 cells (IC50 values 2.42 and 2.92 mg/ml). Petroleum ether phase exhibited better activity than positive control with IC50 of 113.3 μg/ml and induced apoptosis in Eca-109 cells.

Conclusion

The optimized fermentation medium significantly improved P. lonicerae biomass production efficiency. Petroleum ether components from mycelium extract demonstrated promising anti-cancer potential, particularly against esophageal and lung cancer cells through apoptosis induction. These findings support development of P. lonicerae as a functional food with anti-cancer properties.
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