NUTRITIONAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROFILE OF THE MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS PHELLINUS TORULOSUS AND P. IGNIARIUS: INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTANTS ON BIOACTIVITY.

The increased demand for natural, safe and dietary antioxidant sources stimulated the exploration of in-vitro reducing and scavenging potentials of extracts from wild medicinal and non-toxic mushrooms with intention of acknowledging their therapeutic values. Based on the findings about enhanced potency of extracts vs. powder, as well as highlighting the antioxidant potential of underexploited wild species from Macedonian territory, our investigations were aimed at screening the reducing and scavenging profiles of hot water (HWEs), cold water (CWEs) and methanol extracts (MEs) from Phellinus torulosus and P. igniarius to promote their usage as nutraceuticals and for medicinal use. MEs from both species exhibited superior scavenging activity over radicals: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and nitric oxide (NO); enhanced reducing properties and higher total antioxidant capacity, owed to their significantly higher phenol and flavonoid content. In contrast, CWEs established superior ability for inhibiting the lipid peroxides level and glycosylated protein adducts but exposed lower antioxidant properties and reducing abilities. HWE from P. torulosus was a more efficient radical scavenger than P. igniarius, with higher reducing and in-vitro antiglycation capacities, thereby proving its suitability for the treatment against disorders induced by oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]