Antiprotozoal Activity and Mitogenic Effect of Mycelium of Culinary-Medicinal Shiitake Mushroom Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer (Agaricomycetideae)

Antiprotozoal activity (APA) and mitogenic effect (MGE) of stationary cultivated mycelium of the medicinal mushroom Lentinus edodes (Shiitake) were investigated. The different amounts of cultural filtrate (CF) and different concentrations of dry ethanol mycelial extract (ME) obtained on the 25th and 28th days of cultivation were used. The fungal samples were tested in vitro against unicellular protozoan, Paramecium caudatum. Mycelium of L. edodes possesses strong APA and MGE. The tested CF samples showed only APA, whereas ME samples revealed both APA and significant MGE activities. The dose/effect correlation between tested mycelial samples and their activities was noted. The APA was observed at high amounts, while the MGE appeared in lower concentrations. The APA of CF was significantly higher than the APA of ME. The mitotic division of P. caudatum was stimulated by 1.7−2.5 times at low concentrations of ME. The highest APA (during 5 minutes) and intensive MGE (after 2 hours) were observed when 0.09 mL of undiluted CF and 0.03 mL of 0.01% of ME, obtained from 28-day-old mycelium, were used. Nevertheless, no significant differences were found between APA and MGE levels of CF and ME obtained on the 25th and 28th days of mycelial cultivation. The mycelium of L. edodes may be recommended for formulation of antiprotozoal and mitogenic (wound healing and other regenerative) biopreparations.