• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.100-102
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• 2016

Ergothioneine is a natural compound with strong antioxidant properties. In this study, the effects of different nitrogen sources including ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, sodium nitrate, and histidine in sawdust media were investigated to enhance ergothioneine contents in Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) fruit bodies. The addition of 0.2% ammonium sulfate in the growth media showed the highest enhancement of ergothioneine content in shiitake fruit bodies which was 1.7-fold higher than the control. On the other hand, histidine, a building block of ergothioneine decreased the concentration of ergothioneine significantly. Our results demonstrate that the cultivation of shiitake in sawdust media with suitable nutrients was effective to enhance its ergothioneine contents.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.151-159
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• 2019

Ergothioneine has been known as an excellent antioxidant and a cellular protector against oxidative damage in vivo. In the present study, ergothioneine was demonstrated to possess antioxidant and anti-glycation activities. The radical scavenging activity of ergothioneine enhanced the viability of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. The UVA irradiation increased the proportion of senescence-associated ${\beta}$-galactosidase (SA-${\beta}$-gal) positive cells in comparison with the normal control group. The treatment of UVA-irradiated HDFs with ergothioneine decreased the level of SA-b-gal (by approximately 45% at an ergothioneine concentration of $400{\mu}M$) compared with the UVA-irradiated HDFs. We also found that ergothioneine inhibited production of glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in a concentration-dependent manner. The ergothioneine educed carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) expression in comparison to the glyoxal treatment. In addition, in the Western blot analysis, treatment of glyoxal-stimulated HDFs with ergothioneine resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in the expression level of the receptor for AGE (RAGE). These results suggest that ergothioneine may have potent anti-aging effects and could be used as a cosmetic material against cellular accumulation of AGEs.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.282-288
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• 2013

Gastrodia elata Blume is a achlorophyllous orchid plant that has been used in traditional medicine to treat many human illnesses, such as vertigo, hemiplegia, and epilepsy. It contains three major pharmacological substances; gastrodin, ergothioneine, and vanillyl alcohol. Here we investigated the quantitative changes in those functional components by cultivation conditions and harvest times. The content of ergothioneine was different with cultivation areas, while gastrodin accumulated the higher levels than vanillyl alcohol regardless of cultivation areas. The smaller tubers contained the higher concentrations of gastrodin and the lower concentrations of ergothioneine than did the larger tubers. The cultivation under sun shade screen increased the concentrations of both gastrodin and vanillyl alcohol but decreased the levels of ergothioneine. We also determined the contents of functional substances depending on the harvest times. The concentration of gastrodin was higher in October than in April, while the level of ergothioneine was higher in April than in October. Interestingly, the use of sexually propagated seed tubers produced 1.9 times higher levels of gastrodin compared to vegetatively propagated seed tubers. In this study, we found that three major functional substances in G. elata tubers altered depending on various cultivation practices, which might be important to increase the economic values of G. elata tubers.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.301-310
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• 2022

Lentinula edodes is a type of mushroom widely consumed in East Asia, and many of the components contained in them are used as raw materials for pharmaceuticals or as health supplements. Ergothioneine, a sulfur-containing amino acid in L. edodes, is attracting attention due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. L. edodes generally contain an ergothioneine content of about 200 to 800 mg per kg; there are some differences in this value depending on the cultivation conditions. In this study, 24 domestic sawdust-cultivated L. edodes cultivars were cultured under the same conditions, and the morphological characteristics and ergothioneine content of the fruiting bodies were investigated. The yield and morphological characteristics of the fruiting bodies were different in each cultivar. Taehyanggo and Sanjo 713ho had the largest and thickest pileus. The pileus of L. edodes had a higher ergothioneine content than the stipe. Sanjo 715ho had the highest ergothioneine content in the pileus and the stipe at 1,225 mg/kg and 753 mg/kg, respectively. An ergothioneine content of more than 1,000 mg/kg in the pileus was observed in Bambithyang, Sansanhyang, Sulbaekhyang, Taehyanggo, Sanjo 705ho, Sanjo 709ho, Sanjo 715ho, and Sanjo 716ho. These cultivars can be used as parental strains to develop new cultivars with enhanced ergothioneine functionalities.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.507-514
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• 2021

Lentinula edodes have been cultivated extensively not only in South Korea but also in other Asian countries. In terms of taste and nutrition, it is a valuable mushroom that is comparable to other mushrooms. L. edodes contains various physiologically active compounds that promote human health. One compound, ergothioneine, exerts a powerful antioxidant function that inhibits cellular senescence. As it is not biosynthesized by plants or animals, L. edodes is very important for ergothioneine supply. The L. edodes cultivars Bambithyang (NIFoS 3404) and Sansanhyang (NIFoS 3420) of the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS) had higher ergothioneine content than the other cultivars, and 11 strains were obtained using mono-mono hybridization between them. The strains were inoculated into sawdust media to obtain fruiting bodies, and the ergothioneine content of each hybrid strain was confirmed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Among the 11 strains, NIFoS 5108 had a higher ergothioneine content than the parental strains, Bambithyang (NIFoS 3404) and Sansanhyang (NIFoS 3420). This study revealed that it is possible to develop cultivars with improved specific functions using mono-mono hybridization.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2016

Antioxidative components and activities of the extracts from Pleurotus ostreatus extracted at different ethanol concentration were analyzed and their correlation were investigated. Ergothioneine, total phenolic compounds, and flavonoid contents of the extracts from P. ostreatus extracted with hot water (0% ethanol) were the highest ($2.98{\pm}0.05$, $9.51{\pm}0.45$, and $2.83{\pm}0.03mg/g$, respectively) and the contents were decreased according to increase of ethanol concentration for extraction. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of the extracts from P. ostreatus extracted with hot water were the highest ($80.41{\pm}0.56$ and $91.47{\pm}0.11%$, respectively). FRAP value also showed the highest reducing power by $8.86{\pm}0.33\;FeSO_4\;eq$. mM in hot water extracts. Positive correlations were found between ergothioneine contents and antioxidative active components and antioxidant activity of the extracts from P. ostreatus. Results indicate that hot water extraction was most efficient for the extracts with high antioxidative activities from P. ostreatus.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2020

This study was conducted to establish optimal high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) conditions for estimation of the ergothioneine contents in the three kinds of water extracts of Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae (Meaksong, Beesan No. 2, Baekwhang). By comparing the four different HPLC conditions, optimun condition for quantifying the contents of ergotioneine was established (shodex HILIC column, 35 ℃, 1.0 mL/min). By this method, the contents of ergothioneine in Meakong (3.04 ± 0.02 mg/g), Beesan No. 2 (3.15 ± 0.05 mg/g) and Baewhang (1.13 ± 0.07 mg/g) were estimated. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenger activities of these three kinds of Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae were estimated and the contents of total phenol and flavonoid were also estimated. Taken together, this study establish an optimun HPLC condition for determining the ergothioneine contents in water extracts of Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae. Furthermore water extracts of Maesong and Beesan No. 2 showed relatively high contents of ergothioneine and antioxidant activity, suggesting that these materials could be used as potential antioxidant in developing functional cosmetics.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.372-379
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• 2020

Snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis) with functional contents has satisfactory effects on various diseases, including atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, healthy skin, cancer, diabetes, and anti-inflammation. In this study, the extraction yield and functional contents (ergothioneine and 𝛽-glucan) of white jelly fungus were compared based on the extraction conditions using response surface methodology. Results revealed the extraction conditions for optimization of the dependent variables to be 60℃ and 4.33 h, when 16.6 mg/mL of sample concentration was used. Under these conditions, the extraction yield was 24.9%, including ergothioneine (66.8 ㎍/g) and 𝛽-glucan (34.9 g/100 g). These results can be useful in understanding the functional ingredients and mass extraction process in mushroom.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.80-85
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• 2009

As a preliminary study in order to develop new varieties of Hericium species, this study was carried out to investigate the optimal temperature for mycelial growth, to figure out the applicability to sawdust cultivation on Quercus mongolica substrate, and to analyze the antioxidant capacity of ergothioneine and polyphenols in Hericium strains preserved in Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI). In the results of optimal temperature for mycelial growth of eight Hericium erinaceus, it was $20^{\circ}C$ in a strain (KFRI 842), $25^{\circ}C$ in five strains (KFRI 507, 508, 509, 843, 845), and $30^{\circ}C$ in two strains (KFRI 582, 844). Optimal temperature for mycelial growth of H. coralloides (KFRI 713) was $25^{\circ}C$. Four strains (KFRI 508, 843, 844, 713) out of the total nine Hericium strains showed full mycelium growth within 20 days at the optimal temperature on PDA medium in petri-dish (85 mm in diameter). The other strains have need of more time for full mycelium growth. Mushroom production of H. erinaceus ranged from 215 to 384 g of fresh weight and its dry weight was 7 to 9% of it, whereas that of H. coralloides was 299 g of fresh weight and its dry weight was 10% of it. The contents of ergothioneine and polyphenols of H. erinaceus strains were different by strains and those were in the range of $1.6{\sim}3.7$ mg/g dw. and $5.9{\sim}7.8$ mg/g dw., respectively. On the other hand, those of H. coraloides were in the range of 1.7 mg/g dw. and 3.9 mg/g dw., respectively. From the results of correlation ($R^2$ = 0.1) between ergothioneine and polyphenols in the strains, it was found that the total contents of them differ by strains but the ratio of the two compounds was not very different in the strains.

• Mycobiology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2009

The levels of ergothioneine (ERG), which have been shown to act as an excellent antioxidant, were determined in both fruiting bodies and mycelia of various mushroom species. We found that ERG accumulated at different levels in fruiting bodies of mushrooms and showed up to a 92.3-fold difference between mushrooms. We also found that ERG accumulated at higher levels in mycelia than in fruiting bodies of economically important mushroom species such as Ganoderma neo-japonicum, G. applanatum and Paecilomyces tenuipes. The addition of 2 mM methionine (Met) to mycelial culture medium increased the ERG contents in most mushroom species tested, indicating that Met is a good additive to enhance the ERG levels in a variety of mushroom species. Taking these results into consideration, we suggest that the addition of Met to the mycelial culture medium is an efficient way to enhance the antioxidant properties in economically important mushroom species.