Revealing the Taxonomic Profile of a Wild Edible Mushroom From Tribal Cuisine and Its Pharmacological Significance.

Abstract

The historical use of wild mushrooms as food and medicine has been documented in several countries, including India. The Indian macrofungal flora consists of a diverse range of distinct species that have long been valued by various tribal groups for their medicinal and culinary qualities. During the process of documenting indigenous mushroom species, one unique edible Russula sp. was collected from the Pinus-dominated forest of the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Following a thorough assessment of the morphological traits and molecular phylogenetic analysis, this distinct species has been identified as Russula pseudojaponica, a new record from India. In order to investigate its therapeutic potential, a methanolic fraction was prepared and characterized for myco-chemicals. A substantial quantity of different secondary metabolites like carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and phenolics has been detected. The methanolic fraction also had notable antioxidant activity, displaying strong capabilities in scavenging DPPH and ABTS radicals, possessing high reducing power, and chelating capacity. In addition, the extract demonstrated the capacity to hinder the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus, as seen in the broth microdilution experiment. Furthermore, it induced morphological changes in bacterial cells, which were seen by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the extract demonstrated the ability to inhibit the proliferation, clonogenicity, and migratory potential of lung carcinoma cells, suggesting its potential as an anticancer agent. The extract successfully arrested the cell cycle progression in the S phase of cell division. Involvement of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis was also observed after extract treatment. Hence, based on the findings of this study, this exceptional fungus has the capacity to function as an organic reservoir for the creation of novel medications to counteract illnesses associated with oxidative stress, bacterial ailments, and cancer.