Antioxidant Activity of Alcohol Extracts of Fruiting Body of Mushrooms Hericium Alpestre, Hericium Coralloides

The aim of the work was to study the antioxidant properties of ethanolic extracts of the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms H. coralloides and H. alpestre. Mushroom samples were dried, crushed and stored in a glass container before starting the extraction process. 70 % ethyl alcohol was used for extraction, the obtained extract was concentrated under vacuum at 40°С on a rotary evaporator. DPPH radical scavenging activity was evaluated at 517 nm using ascorbic acid as a control. The absorption activity of superoxide radicals was determined by the Larocca method at 560 nm, which is based on the use of nitroblue tetrazolium as an absorber of superoxide radicals; hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was determined by the Halliwell and Gutteridge method, which is based on the quantification of the degradation product of 2-deoxy-D-ribose, which forms a pink chromogen when heated with TBA at low pH. It was shown that within the concentration range of 0,05 – 0,15 mg/mL, the absorption activity of DPPH radicals by alcohol extracts of Hericium alpestre and Hericium coralloides does not reliably differ, however, the antioxidant activity of Hericium alpestre extract at a concentration of 0,25 mg/mL exceeds the antioxidant activity of alcohol Hericium coralloides extract. The absorption effects of ethanol extracts from the investigated species of fungi with respect to DPPH radicals increase with increasing their concentration. At the same time, 70 % alcohol extracts of Hericium alpestre and Hericium coralloides show high superoxide-inhibiting and hydroxyl-inhibiting activity. At the same time, the studied activities increase with an increase in the concentration of the extract. The highest superoxide-inhibiting and hydroxyl-inhibiting activity is characteristic of mushroom extracts with a concentration of 0,5 mg/mL. No significant difference was found between the superoxide-inhibiting activity of Hericium alpestre and Hericium coralloides at a concentration of 0,25–0,5 mg/mL. The obtained results indicate a high antioxidant potential of alcoholic extracts of both studied mushrooms, which are promising sources for obtaining antioxidant compounds for correcting the effects of oxidative stress. Key words: antioxidants, alcohol extracts, H. coralloides, H. alpestre