Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Solid-State Fermented Products from a Medicinal Mushroom, Taiwanofungus salmoneus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Taiwan

Cooked grains of buckwheat (TSFB), oats (TSFO), embryo rice (TSFR), or wheat (TSFW) were inoculated with the medicinal fungus Taiwanofungus salmoneus (=Antrodia salmonea), and the metabolites formed were evaluated for antioxidant activity using the conjugated diene method, reducing power, scavenging ability, and chelating ability. Overall, the effectiveness was generally in the descending order of TSFB >= TSFO > TSFR >= TSFW. The correlation between effective concentration (EC50) of antioxidant property and antioxidant component content measured was established. However, flavonoid contents correlated well with antioxidant properties assayed (r = 0.707-0.933). Fermented products contained substantial amounts of adenosine (34.7-73.8 mu g/g), ergosterol (1070-1212 mu g/g), ergothioneine (81.0-119.8 mu g/g), gamma-aminobutyric acid (100.9-170.2 mu g/g), and lovastatin (3.06-5.60 mu g/g). In addition, with the addition of the extracts from fermented products, lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 production in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells could be effectively suppressed. Accordingly, four types of T. salmoneus fermented products could be beneficially used as food-flavoring materials and food ingredients or as nutritional supplements.