Anti-feline immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase properties of some medicinal and edible mushrooms.

Background and Aim: Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes AIDS-like symptoms in domestic and wild cats. Treatment of infected cats has been performed using human anti-HIV drugs, which showed some limitations. This study aimed to determine the anti-FIV potential of some mushrooms.
Materials and Methods: A total of 17 medicinal and edible mushrooms were screened to find their inhibitory effect against FIV reverse transcriptase (FIV-RT). Three solvents, water, ethanol, and hexane, were used to prepare crude mushroom extracts. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to perform relative inhibition and 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC ₅₀ ) studies.
Results: The ethanol extract from dried fruiting bodies of Inonotus obliquus showed the strongest inhibition with an IC ₅₀ value of 0.80±0.16 μg/mL. The hexane extract from dried mycelium of I. obliquus and ethanol and water extracts from fresh fruit bodies of Phellinus igniarius also exhibited strong activities with the IC ₅₀ values of 1.22±0.20, 4.33±0.39, and 6.24±1.42 μg/mL, respectively. The ethanol extract from fresh fruiting bodies of Cordyceps sinensis , hexane extracts from dried mycelium of I. obliquus , ethanol extracts of Ganoderma lucidum , hexane extracts of fresh fruiting bodies of Morchella esculenta , and fresh fruiting bodies of C. sinensis showed moderate anti-FIV-RT activities with IC ₅₀ values of 29.73±12.39, 49.97±11.86, 65.37±14.14, 77.59±8.31, and 81.41±17.10 μg/mL, respectively. These mushroom extracts show anti-FIV potential.
Conclusion: The extracts from I. obliquus , P. igniarius , C. sinensis , and M. esculenta showed potential anti-FIV activity.
(Copyright: © Seetaha, et al.)