JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL FOOD

J Med Food 13 (2) 2010, 415–419

# Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
DOI: 10.1089=jmf.2009.0090

Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Mycelia of 10 Wild Mushroom Species

Fatih Kalyoncu,1 Mustafa Oskay,1 Hüsniye Sağlam,2 Tuğçe Fafal Erdoğan,2 and A. Üsame Tamer1
1
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science & Arts, Celal Bayar University, Muradiye, Manisa;
and 2Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey

ABSTRACT Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of mycelia obtained from 10 wild edible mushrooms—Armillaria
mellea, Meripilus giganteus, Morchella costata, Morchella elata, Morchella esculenta var. vulgaris, Morchella hortensis,
Morchella rotunda, Paxillus involutus, Pleurotus eryngii, and Pleurotus ostreatus—were investigated. For determination of
antimicrobial activities of these mushrooms, ethanol extracts were examined with 11 test microorganisms by the agar well
diffusion method. P. ostreatus and M. giganteus were the most active species against both bacteria and yeast. Antioxidant
properties of ethanol extracts were studied by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging method. Among the
mushroom extracts, M. elata showed the most potent radical scavenging activity. This research has shown that these 10 wild
macrofungi have potential as natural antioxidants and antibiotics.

KEY WORDS:
antimicrobial activity
antioxidant activity
mycelium
Turkey
wild mushroom

INTRODUCTION with free radicals because oxidative damage to DNA, pro-

teins, and other macromolecules accumulates with age and
M ushrooms have been used as food and food-
flavoring material in soups and sauces for centuries,
because of their unique and subtle flavor.1 As mushrooms are
has been postulated to be a major type of endogenous
damage leading to aging.5 The consumption of plant foods,
such as fruits, vegetables, red wines, and juices, provides
widely distributed all over the world, some of them have
protection against various diseases, including cancer and
long been used as traditional medicines, especially in Japan
cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. This protection can be
and China. A number of medicinal mushrooms, such as
explained by the capacity of antioxidants in the plant foods
Ganoderma lucidum, Tremella fuciformis, and Lentinula
to scavenge free radicals, which are responsible for the
edodes, are deemed to belong to the highest class of medi-
oxidative damage of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.6
cines.2
Like plants, mushrooms accumulate a variety of secondary
Infectious diseases remain one of the major threats to
metabolites, including phenolic compounds, polyketides,
human health. Although numerous antibiotics have been
terpenes, and steroids. Some mushrooms have currently
used against pathogens, antimicrobial resistance is an in-
been found to possess antioxidant activity that is well cor-
creasing public health problem. The antibiotics in mush-
related with their total phenolic content. Recently, mush-
rooms are less well documented in the discovery of new
rooms are considered to be a good source of antioxidants
antimicrobial agents with different structural types. Mush-
such as variegatic acid and diboviquinone, which have been
rooms need antibacterial and antifungal compounds to sur-
found in mushrooms.7
vive in their natural environments. Therefore, antimicrobial
This experimental study is part of a program focusing on
compounds could be isolated from many mushroom species
screening of mycelia obtained from wild mushrooms col-
and could be of beneficial for humans.3 Most of the me-
lected from different parts of Turkey. Wild mushrooms are
dicinal extracts from mushrooms are different forms of
seasonal, and a particular mushroom may disappear from
polysaccharides, and all of them are strengtheners of the
the initial place of collection for a number of years, ap-
immune system with few or no side effects.4
pearing in another place beyond reach. Although there are
The degenerative diseases associated with aging include
many studies on cultivated and wild mushrooms in the
cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune system decline,
world, there is little information available about antimicro-
brain dysfunction, and cataracts. They are also associated
bial and antioxidant activities of wild edible mushrooms of
Turkey, and this is the first study on the pharmacological
Manuscript received 31 March 2009. Revision accepted 21 May 2009. statue of many of the mushrooms used in this study. Our
objective was to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant
Address correspondence to: Fatih Kalyoncu, Department of Biology, Faculty of
Science & Arts, Celal Bayar University, Muradiye, Manisa, 45140 Turkey, E-mail:
properties of mycelia obtained from 10 wild mushrooms
fatihkalyoncu@hotmail.com collected from different parts of Turkey.

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