Lithium bioaccumulation in Lentinus crinitus mycelial biomass as a potential functional food

Lentinus crinitus is an important basidiomycete consumed by ethnic groups from the Amazon, commonly found in decomposing trees with high lignolytic and antioxidant activities. Lithium is a mood stabilizer, antiepileptic, antipsychotic, and antidepressant used in clinical practice. This study aimed to evaluate L. crinitus mycelial biomass bioaccumulated with lithium in liquid cultivation medium. The malt extract medium was added from zero to 100 mg L^-1 lithium from two lithium sources (Li₂CO₃ and LiCl). The maximum mycelial biomass production was 7218.89 mg L^-1 in the culture medium added with 5 mg L^-1 lithium from LiCl. The highest lithium concentration in the mycelial biomass was of 574.72 μg g^-1 produced in the culture medium with 25 mg L^-1 lithium from Li₂CO₃. Pearson's correlation showed that Li₂CO₃ reduces the mycelial biomass and increases lithium bioaccumulation. The maximum translocated lithium from cultivation medium to mycelial biomass was up to 19 or 28% with LiCl or Li₂CO₃, respectively. Therefore, although Li₂CO₃ presents greater inhibition on the mycelial biomass production, it promoted greater lithium bioaccumulation in L. crinitus mycelial biomass and resulted in greater yield of lithium translocation. The equivalent daily dose of lithium for psychiatric treatment, without bioavailability studies, could be reached with 97.4 g lithium-enriched mycelial biomass and, based in the literature, for reduction of violence and criminality rates the amount could be reached with 0.24-0.58 mg. Thus, the development of lithium-enriched mycelial biomass could be an alternative functional food.