Abstract

Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties of Indigenous Edible Mushroom Agaricus Heterocystis (AGH

Author(s): Jagadish Loganathan

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiviral property of Agaricus heterocystis (AGH) ethanolic extract were evaluated. The total antioxidant activity of the extract was assessed against ABTS and DPPH stale free radicals. Antioxidant components like phenol, flavonoid, β-carotene and lycopene were quantified. Antimicrobial and antiviral properties were analyzed by well-diffusion and plaque reduction methods respectively. The total antioxidant activity of the AGH extract was found to be strong and their EC50 values were 0.40±0.57 and 3.2±0.81 mg/ml against ABTS and DPPH radicals respectively. The AGH ethanolic extract showed strong antibacterial activity against gram positive bacteria than gram negative bacteria tested. The virucide action of the mushroom extract against human viruses tested exhibited prominent antiviral activity, the effective concentration inhibiting 50% of the viral activity were found to be of 116.3±1.97 and 110.2±1.88 µg/ml against HSV type 1 virus and Influenza viruses A and B respectively. In conclusion, it needs further study to identify the bioactive compounds responsible for antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and the role of antioxidant supplement under microbial stress.