In vitro Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Potential of Pleurotus Mushroom and Activity-Based Correlation: a Comparative Study

Herein, comparative studies were conducted on different species of Pleurotus mushroom (Pleurotus osteratus, Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus sajor caju, Pleurotus florida, and Pleurotus roseus), extracted in two different solvent systems: dichloromethane (DCM)-ethanol (Et) with the ratio of 1 : 1 (v/v) and 50% (v/v) ethanol. Comparably, 50% (v/v) ethanolic crude extract had a considerably higher extraction yield and total phenolic, carbohydrate, and protein content. Owing to a high total phenolic yield, 50% (v/v) ethanolic crude extract had better ability to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical. Contrarily, DCM-Et crude extract showed strong cytotoxic potential against the human breast cancer cell line (MD-MBA-231) and murine skin cancer cell line (B16F10). High-performance thin layer chromatography based methods were developed and validated as per the International Council for Harmonisation Q2(R1) for the determination of ergosterol. Ergosterol content in DCM-Et crude extract correlates with its cytotoxic potential.