Several mushroom species are consumed by collecting from the nature or in cultured form for their nutritional and medical characteristics. The objective of the present study is to determine antioxidant activities, DNA-protective activities, total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress indices (OSI) and Fe, Mg, Zn, Cu, Na and Ca content in Auricularia auricula (L.) Underw. and Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd mushroom species. Mushroom ethanol extracts were obtained and antioxidant activities with DPPH method, TAS, TOS and OSI values with Rel Assay Diagnostics kits, and DNA protective activities using pBR322 supercoil DNA were identified. Furthermore, Fe, Mg, Zn, Cu, Na and Ca contents were determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometer. It was determined that antioxidant potential of mushroom ethanol extracts were low compared to the standard and they did not have DNAprotective activities. It was also observed that the mushrooms have variable element content, and have similar TAS, TOS and OSI levels. High OSI values found in both mushroom species showed that these mushroom are unhealthy. Thus, it was recommended to demonstrate caution in consumption of mushrooms collected in these regions. However, it was also considered that the mushroom samples collected from regions with adequate OSI values could be used as antioxidant.
IntroductıonThe usage of various foods and natural products for therapeutic purposes has a long history [1]. Since early times, mushrooms have been an important nutrient for humans and have had significant medical values [2,3]. The number of mushroom species is estimated to be around 140,000 and only 10% of these (about 14,000) have been designated [4]. Today, along with the increase in molecular studies, their use in biological warfare as well as in the production of antibiotic and other pharmacological products has increased [5]. In addition to immune system booster, antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-mutagenic effects, it is also known that mushrooms are effective in prevention and treatment of diseases such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia [6][7][8]. Macro-fungi are a significant nutritional supplement for humans. However, several fungus species accumulate both important nutritional elements and heavy metals in their fruit bodies [9]. Although living organisms need certain elements such as iron, cobalt, copper, manganese, chrome and zinc in trace amounts, excessive amounts of these elements create toxic effects on these living organisms [10]. Thus, regardless of the purpose of it's use, it is of utmost importance to determine metal concentrations in the mushrooms before consumption.Oxidative stress occurs as a result of the imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defense produced in living organisms [11]. ROS are highly reactive O 2 metabolites that include superoxideradical, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical. The ROS causes considerable injury to DNA, protein and lipid and it is claimed that this in...
