Amplification and Quantification of Lovastatin from Elm Oyster Mushroom Hypsizygus ulmarius (Bull.) Redhead (Agaricomycetes) through HPLC Analysis and Determination of Its Mycochemical Constituents

In recent eras, mushrooms have drawn the attention of agricultural, food and pharmaceutical industries as they are considered to be the valuable natural resources of biologically active substances. In developing countries with limited financial resources, the demand for protein-rich food is crucial. Mushrooms provide a sustainable alternative, offering nutritional and medicinal benefits, including cholesterol-lowering effects associated with lovastatin. The choice of substrate in mushroom cultivation affects their functional properties, with methionine as a significant precursor to lovastatin. This study assesses the impact of integrating oats at different culture stages on the lovastatin content, growth parameters and yield of Hypsizygus ulmarius. The treatment with oat inclusion (T1) exhibited the highest lovastatin content (78.17 mg/100 g) and biological efficiency (238.41%), with lovastatin levels increasing 2.45 times compared to the control. The inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase was also significantly higher in the T1 (62.00%), demonstrating its potential for cholesterol-lowering applications. The proximate analysis of the mushroom indicated a substantial amount of carbohydrate (51.70%) and protein (29.10%) content. Additionally, the present study also determined significant levels of mycochemicals, indicating improved bioactive characteristics. The incorporation of oats as a basal medium led to notable significant improvements in the nutritional, medicinal and biochemical profile of H. ulmarius.