Investigating the Neuroprotective, Hepatoprotective, and Antimicrobial Effects of Mushroom Extracts.

Mushrooms, renowned for their nutritional value and bioactive compounds, offer potential health benefits, including antioxidants and anti-aging properties. Aging, characterized by cellular and tissue decline, is often associated with autophagy dysfunction, a crucial cellular cleaning process. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and antimicrobial properties of extracts from four medicinal and edible mushrooms: , , , and . The protein, total phenol, and flavonoid content of mushroom extracts were determined. Aging was induced with 120 mg/kg D-galactose and treated with 500 mg/kg mushroom extracts. The study evaluated liver enzyme levels, histopathological changes in liver and brain tissues, gene expression correlated to neurodegeneration (---), telomere length, and immunomodulatory and pro-inflammatory (--) gene expression pathways. Additionally, the antimicrobial potential of mushroom extracts was assessed against several bacteria (, , , and ) using agar well diffusion and lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. By exploring these diverse aspects, this study aimed to provide a foundation for a better understanding of the potential of mushrooms as natural neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and antimicrobial agents and their potential applications in human health. Results indicated that all mushroom extracts effectively mitigated oxidative stress. exhibited the highest protein and flavonoid content, and displayed the highest phenolic content. Notably, and extracts demonstrated significant neuroprotective and hepatoprotective properties against D-galactose-induced aging, as evidenced by histopathological examination. All extracts exhibited a significant decrease ( < 0.001) in liver function (serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (GOT) and alanine aminotransferase (GPT)) and showed immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, characterized by upregulated and gene expression and downregulated gene expression. demonstrated the most pronounced upregulation ( < 0.001) of , , and telomere length gene expression, suggesting potential anti-aging effects. Furthermore, all mushroom extracts displayed antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterial strains, except , which exhibited antibacterial activity solely against . exhibited the largest inhibition zones (22 ± 0.06 mm) against , while displayed the largest inhibition zone against . The MIC value was observed with extract against (1.95 ± 0.16 mg/mL). exhibited the highest resistance to the tested mushroom extracts. These findings suggest that these edible and medicinal mushrooms possess a wide range of health-promoting properties, including neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and antimicrobial activities. Further research is needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms and optimize applications. However, our results provide a strong foundation for exploring these mushrooms as potential natural agents that promote overall health and combat age-related decline.