Chemical Characterization and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Properties of the Wild Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum Growing in Northern Moroccan Forests

Abstract

Ganoderma lucidum is an extensively famous medicinal mushroom distributed worldwide. Despite being widely grown in Moroccan forests, there are no studies on its nutritional, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical values. Herein, the objective of this study was to investigate the chemical characterization and antimicrobial properties of G. lucidum methanolic extract. Total phenolic, flavonoid, tannin, ascorbic acid and carotenoid contents were determined by spectrophotometry. The results revealed that the most prevalent bioactive compounds were phenolics and flavonoids, with total values of 154.60 mg GAE/g of dry methanolic extract (dme) and 60.55 mg CE/mg of dme, respectively. A GC–MS analysis identified 80 biologically active molecules, which were mainly divided into the following major groups: sugars (49.49%), organic acids (8.89%), fatty acids (7.75%), amino acids (7.44%), steroids (7.32%), polyphenols (5.92%), and others (13.16%). Additionally, 22 individual phenolic compounds were identified and quantified using HPLC–MS, with emphasis on kaempferol (1714 µg/g of dry weight (dw)), apigenin (1955 µg/g dw) and quercetin (947.2 µg/g dw). The methanolic extract of G. lucidum indicated strong antioxidant capacity by means of the following: DPPH radical-scavenging activity (53.7 µg/mL), β-carotene/linoleate assay (43.75 µg/mL), and reducing power assay (76.62 µg/mL). Furthermore, the extract exhibited potent antimicrobial properties against seven human pathogenic microorganisms, including two bacteria and five fungal strains, at concentrations ranging from 1 to 16 mg/mL. The most sensitive pathogen was Epidermophyton floccosum (MIC = MFC = 1 mg/mL), while Aspergillus fumigatus was the most resistant one (MIC = 16 mg/mL and MFC ≥ 16 mg/mL). Overall, our findings demonstrated valuable nutritional and bioactive compound attributes, and potent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, of G. lucidum growing in Moroccan forests. Moreover, these findings suggest that the Moroccan mushroom can be extremely useful for the food and medicinal industries to positively affect socioeconomic status.

Ganoderma lucidum methanolic extract as a potent phytoconstituent: characterization, in-vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity

“…Consequently, antimicrobials derived from fungi have garnered much attention in recent years. The present study shows that GLME could combat various diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms 52 , 53 . Overall, our data suggest that GLME may be a novel strategy for treating cancer and bacterial infections because it contains a wide range of anticancer and antibacterial compounds.…”

Bioprospecting of Selected Species of Polypore Fungi from the Western Balkans

“…In comparison, Janjušević et al reported by HPL-MS/MS that quercetin (29.30 μg g −1 ) and catechin (21.90 μg g −1 ) were the primary flavonoid constituents of C. versicolor methanol extract from Fruška gora, Vojvodina, Northern Serbia [ 21 ]. Moreover, Erbiai et al confirmed that quercetin had the highest content (947.2 μg g −1 dw) at the G. lucidum methanol extract from the Biological and Ecological Interest Site (SIBE) of Koudiat Taifour in northwestern Morocco [ 33 ]. In this extract, the presence of rutin, narigenin, apigenin, and kaempferol was also detected [ 33 ].…”

“…Moreover, Erbiai et al confirmed that quercetin had the highest content (947.2 μg g −1 dw) at the G. lucidum methanol extract from the Biological and Ecological Interest Site (SIBE) of Koudiat Taifour in northwestern Morocco [ 33 ]. In this extract, the presence of rutin, narigenin, apigenin, and kaempferol was also detected [ 33 ]. However, Onar et al reported that the content of epicatechin, catechin hydrate, and quercetin dihydrate determined by HPLC was ≤1 ppm in F. pinicola ethanol extract from Belgrad Forest, Istanbul [ 21 ].…”

Ganoderma lucidum: Insight into antimicrobial and antioxidant properties with development of secondary metabolites

“…However, further research is needed to fully understand the mode of action and various applications. G. lucidum has been shown to possess potent antimicrobial activity against a variety of bacteria, viruses, and fungi [ 92 ]. There are several potential future developments for G. lucidum as an antimicrobial agent that could be possible, such as the development of new antibiotics, natural preservatives, bioremediation, and personal care products [ 2 , 197 ].…”