Optimization and bioactivity assessment of Sparassis crispa extracts with response surface methodology and artificial...

In this study, the biological activities of optimized extracts of Sparassis crispa, a medicinally important mushroom species, were comprehensively evaluated. Samples collected from Istanbul were extracted under specified conditions, and the optimization processes were performed using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Network-Genetic Algorithm (ANN-GA). The obtained extracts were analyzed for antioxidant activities, including Total Antioxidant Status (TAS), Total Oxidant Status (TOS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), and Oxidative Stress Index (OSI), as well as anticholinesterase activities based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition. In addition, their antiproliferative effects against A549, MCF-7, and DU-145 cancer cell lines and phenolic compound profiles determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were evaluated. The findings revealed that ANN-GA optimization provided higher antioxidant capacity than RSM, as reflected by increased TAS, DPPH, and FRAP values in the ANN-GA extract (3.614 mmol/L, 95.89 mg Trolox equivalents/g, and 142.45 mg Trolox equivalents/g, respectively) compared with the RSM extract (3.179 mmol/L, 86.76 mg Trolox equivalents/g, and 118.67 mg Trolox equivalents/g, respectively). In addition, the ANN-GA extract showed lower TOS and OSI values (8.192 µmol/L and 0.227, respectively) than the RSM extract (9.343 µmol/L and 0.294, respectively), together with stronger anticholinesterase activity and more pronounced antiproliferative effects. Moreover, the ANN-GA optimized extract contained higher levels of biologically important phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, caffeic acid, and protocatechuic acid. Overall, the results demonstrate that ANN-GA based optimization is an effective strategy for increasing the recovery of biologically functional molecules and suggest that S. crispa may represent a promising natural resource for functional food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological applications.