Screening of Basidiomycete mushroom extracts for antigenotoxic and bio-antimutagenic activity

In this study we screened crude methanol:water extracts of 89 different mushroom species for their antigenotoxic and bio-antimutagenic activity. The screening was performed with the SOS/umu test and we monitored the ability of extracts to inhibit UV induced expression of umuC gene in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002. Seventeen extracts inhibited umuC expression by more than 50%. These extracts were further evaluated for the ability to inhibit UV induced mutations in Escherichia coli WP2. Five extracts (Cortinarius evernius, Rozites caperatus, Lactarius vellereus, Russula integra and Pleurotus cornucopiae) inhibited also UV induced mutations. The study showed that certain mushrooms contain substances with bio-antimutagenic potential. Particularly interesting for further investigations are Pleurotus cornucopiae (Lentinaceae), which was the most effective and species of Russulaceae and Cortinaceae families, which might contain common family specific bio-antimutagenic substance(s).