Phytochemical Screening, Mineral Analysis and Antioxidant Efficacy of some Commercially Cultivated and Pharmaceutically Important Pleurotus Species

The present study aims to evaluate the presence of secondary metabolites, mineral contents, and antioxidant potential of Pleurotus floridanus, P. ostreatus and P. cystidiosus that are the potentially edible and pharmaceutically efficient mushroom species. Mycochemical screening revealed the presence of important secondary metabolites i.e. saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, and phenolic compounds. The mineral analysis was carried out to determine the presence of essential and non-essential nutrients in the Pleurotusspecies. Potassium was found to be maximum among all the nutrients i.e. 45 mg/g, 57mg/g and 62 mg/g in P. cystidiosusP. ostreatus and P. floridanus respectively. Nickel and cobalt were absent in all three species. Antioxidant potential of the ethanol extracts of these valuable mushrooms was appraised by using assays i.e. ABTS (2, 2’- Azino-Bis-3-Ethylbenzothiazoline-6-Suphonic Acid), FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate), Flavonoids (TFC) and Phenolic (TPC) were also determined. Maximum % inhibition on ABTS (92.5 ± 0.288), DPPH (56.45 ± 0.22) and Fe3+ (0.541 + 0.006) radical was shown by P. floridanus followed by P. cystidiosus and P. ostreatus. P. floridanus also contains the highest phenolic and flavonoids contents. This study identified that all three species exhibit important mycochemical compounds, antioxidant potential and essential minerals that showed their potential to use them as the natural medicine and also can utilized for the production of pharmaceutical drugs in future.

Author(s): Niazi AR and Ghafoor A

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