Shaza M. Elhusseiny

Bio: Shaza M. Elhusseiny is an academic researcher from Ahram Canadian University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mushroom & Pleurotus. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 6 citations.

Proteome Analysis and In Vitro Antiviral, Anticancer and Antioxidant Capacities of the Aqueous Extracts of Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus ostreatus Edible Mushrooms

Abstract: In this study, we examined aqueous extracts of the edible mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) and Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom). Proteome analysis was conducted using LC-Triple TOF-MS and showed the expression of 753 proteins by Pleurotus ostreatus, and 432 proteins by Lentinula edodes. Bioactive peptides: Rab GDP dissociation inhibitor, superoxide dismutase, thioredoxin reductase, serine proteinase and lectin, were identified in both mushrooms. The extracts also included promising bioactive compounds including phenolics, flavonoids, vitamins and amino acids. The extracts showed promising antiviral activities, with a selectivity index (SI) of 4.5 for Pleurotus ostreatus against adenovirus (Ad7), and a slight activity for Lentinula edodes against herpes simplex-II (HSV-2). The extracts were not cytotoxic to normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). On the contrary, they showed moderate cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines. Additionally, antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical cation scavenging and ORAC assays. The two extracts showed potential antioxidant activities, with the maximum activity seen for Pleurotus ostreatus (IC50 µg/mL) = 39.46 ± 1.27 for DPPH; 11.22 ± 1.81 for ABTS; and 21.40 ± 2.20 for ORAC assays. This study encourages the use of these mushrooms in medicine in the light of their low cytotoxicity on normal PBMCs vis a vis their antiviral, antitumor and antioxidant capabilities.

Antiviral, Cytotoxic, and Antioxidant Activities of Three Edible Agaricomycetes Mushrooms: Pleurotus columbinus, Pleurotus sajor-caju, and Agaricus bisporus.

Abstract: In this study, we investigated aqueous extracts of three edible mushrooms: Agaricus bisporus (white button mushroom), Pleurotus columbinus (oyster mushroom), and Pleurotus sajor-caju (grey oyster mushroom). The extracts were biochemically characterized for total carbohydrate, phenolic, flavonoid, vitamin, and protein contents besides amino acid analysis. Triple TOF proteome analysis showed 30.1% similarity between proteomes of the two Pleurotus spp. All three extracts showed promising antiviral activities. While Pleurotus columbinus extract showed potent activity against adenovirus (Ad7, selectivity index (SI) = 4.2), Agaricus bisporus showed strong activity against herpes simplex II (HSV-2; SI = 3.7). The extracts showed low cytotoxicity against normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and moderate cytotoxicity against prostate (PC3, DU-145); colorectal (Colo-205); cecum carcinoma (LS-513); liver carcinoma (HepG2); cervical cancer (HeLa); breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) as well as leukemia (CCRF-CEM); acute monocytic leukemia (THP1); acute promyelocytic leukemia (NB4); and lymphoma (U937) cell lines. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging, 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-Ethylbenzthiazolin-6-Sulfonic Acid) ABTS radical cation scavenging, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays. The three extracts showed potential antioxidant activities with the maximum activity recorded for Pleurotus columbinus (IC50 µg/mL) = 35.13 ± 3.27 for DPPH, 13.97 ± 4.91 for ABTS, and 29.42 ± 3.21 for ORAC assays.

Modulation of laccase transcriptome during biodegradation of naphthalene by white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus

Abstract: Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using Pleurotus ostreatus was investigated in the current study along with the expression levels of laccase genes involved in biodegradation under variable conditions. Biodegradation of PAHs (naphthalene, anthracene, and 1,10-phenanthroline) was detected spectrophotometrically. Recorded data revealed that biodegradation of the tested PAHs was time dependent. Elevated level of naphthalene biodegradation (86.47%) was observed compared to anthracene (27.87%) and 1,10-phenanthroline (24.51%) within 3 days post incubation. Naphthalene was completely degraded within 5 days. Further incubation enhanced the biodegradation of both anthracene and 1,10-phenanthroline until reaches 93.69% and 92.00% biodegradation of the initial concentration within an incubation period of 11 and 14 days, respectively. Naphthalene was selected as a PAH model. HPLC and thin layer chromatography of naphthalene biodegradation products at time intervals proposed that naphthalene was first degraded to α- and β-naphthol which was further metabolized to salicylic and benzoic acid. The metabolic pathway of naphthalene degradation by this fungus was elucidated based on the detected metabolites. The expression profile of six laccase isomers was evaluated using real-time PCR. The transcriptome of the fungal laccase isomers recorded higher levels of transcription under optimized fermentation conditions especially in presence of both naphthalene and Tween 80. The accumulation of such useful metabolites from the biodegradation of PAH pollutants recommended white rot fungus as a potential candidate for production of platform chemicals from PAH wastes.

Immunomodulatory activity of extracts from five edible basidiomycetes mushrooms in Wistar albino rats

Abstract: Abstract Mushrooms are nutritious foods that are widely cultivated all over the world. They are rich in a range of compounds linked to improving functions of the immune system including carotenoids, alkaloids, lectins, enzymes, folates, fats, organic acids, minerals, polysaccharides, phenolics, proteins, tocopherols, terpenoids, and volatile compounds. In this study we investigated, the immunomodulatory activity in rats of the aqueous extracts of five of the most common edible mushrooms belonging to Family Basidiomycota-white-rot fungi including, Lentinula edodes, Agaricus bisporus , Pleurotus ostreatus , Pleurotus columbinus, and Pleurotus sajor-caju . Male Wistar albino rats were assigned to thirteen groups and Immunosuppression was induced by oral administration of dexamethasone (0.1 mg/kg), followed by oral administration of the mushroom extracts at low (200 mg/kg) and high (400 mg/kg) doses. A positive control group received the immune stimulant Echinacea extract Immulant® at (30 mg/kg), while the negative control group received only saline. From each animal, in each group, blood samples were collected after 15 days for complete blood counts and for measurement of immunologic parameters, including lysozyme activity, nitric oxide (NO) production and serum cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) levels. Results have shown that white blood cells (WBCs) and lymphocytic counts were significantly boosted by high doses of each of the five mushroom extracts (207–289% increase for WBC and 153–175% for lymphocytes) with a significant increase in lysozyme activity (110–136% increase), NO concentration (159–232% increase) and cytokines as compared to the negative control group. Histopathological examination of the rats' spleen and thymus tissues has shown marked lymphocytic proliferation that was more obvious at the higher doses. In conclusion, our results showed that the five edible mushroom extracts revealed significant immunostimulatory effects preclinically particularly, at the higher doses (400 mg/kg) which can be considered the effective dose.

In vitro Anti SARS-CoV-2 Activity and Docking Analysis of Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes and Agaricus bisporus Edible Mushrooms

Abstract: Background Fungi are rich source of biologically active metabolites aimed for the improvement of human health through the prevention of various diseases, including infections and inflammatory disorders. Aim We aimed to in vitro examine the anti-SARS CoV-2 activity of the aqueous extract of each Pleurotus (P.) ostreatus, Lentinula (L.) edodes and Agaricus (A.) bisporus edible mushroom followed by docking analysis of certain metabolites against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-main protease (protease Mpro). Methods Antiviral and cytotoxic effects were tested on hCoV-19/Egypt/NRC-3/2020/Vero-E6 cells and analyzed via (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide Assay (MTT) assay. Ligand-protein and protein-protein docking studies were performed to explore the interaction of different mushroom extracts at the binding site of protease Mpro. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on the most promising ligand-target complexes to investigate their dynamic properties and confirm docking results. Results Substantial antiviral activities with an IC50 of 39.19, 26.17, and 10.3.3 µg/mL and a selectivity index (SI) of 4.34, 3.44, and 1.5 for P. ostreatus, L. edodes and A. bisporus, were observed, respectively. Docking analysis revealed that, catechin from three mushroom isolates, chlorogenic acid from A. bisporus, kamperferol of P. ostreatus and quercetin from L. edodes, with a C-DOCKER interaction energy in the range of 22.8–37.61 (Kcal/mol) with protease compared to boceprevir ligand of 41.6 (Kcal/mol). Docking of superoxide dismutase, catalase from the three mushrooms, tyrosinase from A. bisporus showed ligand contact surface area with the protein as 252.74 Å2 while receptor contact surface area was 267.23 Å2. Conclusion P. ostreatus, L. edodes and A. bisporus have potential and remarkable in vitro antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2. Quercetin from L. edodes, Kaempferol from P. ostreatus, chlorogenic acid and ascorbic acid, catechin, superoxide dismutase and catalase of the three mushrooms extracts were effectively bounded to Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 as conferred by docking analysis.

Transcriptomic analysis of polyaromatic hydrocarbon degradation by the halophilic fungus Aspergillus sydowii at hypersaline conditions.

Abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most persistent xenobiotic compounds, with high toxicity effects. Mycoremediation with halophilic Aspergillus sydowii was used for their removal from a hypersaline medium (1 M NaCl). A. sydowii metabolized PAHs as sole carbon sources, resulting in the removal of up to 90% for both PAHs [benzo [a] pyrene (BaP) and phenanthrene (Phe)] after 10 days. Elimination of Phe and BaP was almost exclusively due to biotransformation and not adsorption by dead mycelium and did not correlate with the activity of lignin modifying enzymes (LME). Transcriptomes of A. sydowii grown on PAHs, or on glucose as control, both at hypersaline conditions, revealed 170 upregulated and 76 downregulated genes. Upregulated genes were related to starvation, cell wall remodelling, degradation and metabolism of xenobiotics, DNA/RNA metabolism, energy generation, signalling and general stress responses. Changes of LME expression levels were not detected, while the chloroperoxidase gene, possibly related to detoxification processes in fungi, was strongly upregulated. We propose that two parallel metabolic pathways (mitochondrial and cytosolic) are involved in degradation and detoxification of PAHs in A. sydowii resulting in intracellular oxidation of PAHs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive transcriptomic analysis on fungal degradation of PAHs.

Antioxidant Activity of Mushroom Extracts/Polysaccharides—Their Antiviral Properties and Plausible AntiCOVID-19 Properties

Abstract: Mushrooms have been long accomplished for their medicinal properties and bioactivity. The ancients benefitted from it, even before they knew that there was more to mushrooms than just the culinary aspect. This review addresses the benefits of mushrooms and specifically dwells on the positive attributes of mushroom polysaccharides. Compared to mushroom research, mushroom polysaccharide-based reports were observed to be significantly less frequent. This review highlights the antioxidant properties and mechanisms as well as consolidates the various antioxidant applications of mushroom polysaccharides. The biological activities of mushroom polysaccharides are also briefly discussed. The antiviral properties of mushrooms and their polysaccharides have been reviewed and presented. The lacunae in implementation of the antiviral benefits into antiCOVID-19 pursuits has been highlighted. The need for expansion and extrapolation of the knowns of mushrooms to extend into the unknown is emphasized.

Green Biotechnology of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus L.): A Sustainable Strategy for Myco-Remediation and Bio-Fermentation

Abstract: The field of biotechnology presents us with a great chance to use many organisms, such as mushrooms, to find suitable solutions for issues that include the accumulation of agro-wastes in the environment. The green biotechnology of mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus L.) includes the myco-remediation of polluted soil and water as well as bio-fermentation. The circular economy approach could be effectively achieved by using oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus L.), of which the substrate of their cultivation is considered as a vital source for producing biofertilizers, animal feeds, bioenergy, and bio-remediators. Spent mushroom substrate is also considered a crucial source for many applications, including the production of enzymes (e.g., manganese peroxidase, laccase, and lignin peroxidase) and bioethanol. The sustainable management of agro-industrial wastes (e.g., plant-based foods, animal-based foods, and non-food industries) could reduce, reuse and recycle using oyster mushrooms. This review aims to focus on the biotechnological applications of the oyster mushroom (P. ostreatus L.) concerning the field of the myco-remediation of pollutants and the bio-fermentation of agro-industrial wastes as a sustainable approach to environmental protection. This study can open new windows onto the green synthesis of metal-nanoparticles, such as nano-silver, nano-TiO2 and nano-ZnO. More investigations are needed concerning the new biotechnological approaches.

GC-MS Analysis of Potentially Volatile Compounds of Pleurotus ostreatus Polar Extract: In vitro Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, Immunomodulatory, and Antioxidant Activities

Abstract: One strategy to manage resistant pathogens and develop potential anticancer drugs is the search for new, promising, and cost-effective medicinal benefits in the field of bioactive metabolites derived from mushrooms. In the current study, Egyptian cultivated Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting bodies polar extract was prepared to evaluate its antimicrobial activities as well as its cytotoxic effect on various cancer cell lines. The Pleurotus ostreatus polar extract (PoPE) was characterized by its phenolic and flavonoid content. The phenolics and flavonoids of PoPE were 6.94 and 0.15 mg/g, respectively. P. ostreatus polar extract showed potent antimicrobial activity against four pathogens, including Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, and Escherichia coli. PoPE was found to inhibit Fusarium oxysporum (47%), Fusarium solani (28%) as well as Rhizoctonia solani (21%). PoPE was found to be 13 times more selective and toxic to MCF-7 cells than Vero normal cells, with the lowest IC50 value (4.5 μg/mL), so they were selected to examine the potential cytotoxic effects of PoPE. In MCF-7 cells, PoPE appeared to promote cell cycle arrest in the sub-G1 stage, as well as apoptosis. It significantly increased TNF-α production while decreasing IL-6 levels. PoPE’s total antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxide, and glutathione reductase activity were recorded 0.14 ± 0.02 mM/L, 15.60 ± 0.015 nmol/mL, and 9.50 ± 1.30 U/L, respectively. The existence of different bioactive metabolites was investigated via GC-MS, which confirmed the presence of 15 compounds with well-known biological activity.

Metabolomic Profiling and Biological Activities of Pleurotus columbinus Quél. Cultivated on Different Agri-Food Byproducts.

Abstract: The genus Pleurotus (Fr.) P. Kumm (Pleurotaceae, Basidiomycota) comprises a cosmopolitan group of mushrooms highly appreciated for their nutritional value and health-promoting benefits. Despite there being many studies about the phytochemical composition of Pleurotus spp., there are very few reports dealing with the phytochemistry, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of P. columbinus Quel. In this study, a mass spectrometry ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UHPLC)-QTOF method, coupled with principal component analysis (PCA), was applied to the P. columbinus metabolome in order to investigate the influence of different agri-food residues as growth substrates for P. columbinus cultivation, on the bioactive chemical profile of fruiting bodies and evaluated their potential as antioxidants and antimicrobials. Additionally, a quantitative HPLC-DAD-MS analysis was conducted on phenolic and flavonoid compounds, that could explain, albeit partially, the observed biological effects of P. columbinus extracts. The qualitative metabolic profile identified 97 metabolites, whereas the quantitative HPLC-DAD-MS analysis confirmed the presence of phenolic and flavonoids, in the mushroom extracts, which also showed intrinsic scavenging/reducing and antimicrobial effects. The antibacterial effects were particularly evident against Escherichia coli, whereas Tricophyton and Aspergillus were the dermatophytes more sensitive to the mushroom extracts. The present study supports more in-depth investigations, aimed at evaluating the influence of growth substrate on P. columbinus antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The extracts from P. columbinus revealed valuable sources of primary and secondary metabolites, thus suggesting potential applications in the formulation of food supplements with biological properties, above all in terms of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.