Hericium erinaceus (also called lion’s mane mushroom) is an edible mushroom that has been widely used in many countries. It has been also used for the treatment of metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal diseases and memory impairment. In this study, research on the constituents and biological activity was conducted. Purification and structural characterization using chromatographic techniques and spectroscopic analysis resulted in the isolation of diverse compounds including 6 new compounds from the fruiting bodies of H. erinaceus. Investigation of biological activity suggested the anti-hyperglycemic and neurotrophic effect of isolated compounds. Further analysis by molecular docking demonstrated the interaction of α-glucosidase and isolated compounds and suggested the importance of long side chain for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. In addition, isolated compounds showed neuroprotective activity by increasing neurotrophic factors and neurite growth.
In order to develop these active constituents of H. erinaceus into pharmaceuticals, research was conducted to secure them. The content of anti-diabetic and neurotrophic substance, hericene A was increased by the optimization of culture conditions such as medium composition and cultivation period. In addition, total organic synthesis of isohericerinol A and other derivatives was successively established to secure bioactive compounds. Taken together, H. erinaceus is suggested as a promising candidate for drug discovery with diverse effectiveness. Our present study will contribute to the successful development as a medicinal candidate through the identification of bioactive constituents and establishment of the methods for securing them.
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT, 2022R1A2C1008081)