Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Effects and Identification of Ophiocordyceps sinensis Bioactive Proteins Using Shotgun Proteomic Analysis

• Published in: Food technology and biotechnology Vol. 59; no. 2; pp. 201 - 208
• Main Authors: Kong, Boon-Hong, Yap, Chee-Sum Alvin, Razif, Muhammad Fazril Mohamad, Ng, Szu-Ting, Tan, Chon-Seng, Fung, Shin-Yee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Croatia Sveuciliste U Zagrebu 01.04.2021; Sveuciliste u Zagrebu, Prehramheno-Biotehnoloski Fakultet; University of Zagreb Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology
• Subjects: Alveoli; Analysis; antioxidant activity; Antioxidants; Antiproliferatives; Bioactive compounds; bioactive proteins; Biological activity; Chemical composition; Cold water; Cultivars; cytotoxic effect; Cytotoxicity; Fruit bodies; Functional foods; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Nutritive value; Ophiocordyceps sinensis; Overexploitation; Oxalate decarboxylase; Oxalates; Oxalic acid; Pharmaceutical industry; Polysaccharides; Preliminary Communication; Proteases; protein-polysaccharide complexes; Proteins; Saccharides; Scavenging; Selectivity; Shotguns; Superoxide anions; Vitamin E; United States; China; Malaysia; protein-polysaccharide complexes; antioxidant activity; bioactive proteins; cytotoxic effect; Ophiocordyceps sinensis
• ISSN: 1330-9862; 1334-2606
• DOI: 10.17113/ftb.59.02.21.7151

a highly valued medicinal fungus, is close to extinction due to overexploitation. Successful cultivation of fruiting body (OCS02®) shows that the cultivar has a promising nutritional value and numerous bioactive compounds. Antioxidant and antiproliferative properties and biologically active proteins of the OCS02® are investigated for possible development into nutraceuticals. The chemical composition of the OCS02® cold water extract was determined, and the antioxidant activities were examined using ferric reducing, DPPH and O scavenging assays. Tetrazolium dye (MTT) cytotoxic assay was performed to assess the antiproliferative activity of the extract. Bioactive proteins in the active fraction of the extract were identified using liquid chromatography (LC) and tandem-mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The OCS02® extract exhibited strong O scavenging (expressed as Trolox equivalents (18.4±1.1) mol/g) and potent cytotoxic activities against adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial (A549) cells (IC =(58.2±6.8) µg/mL). High molecular mass polysaccharides, proteins and protein-polysaccharide complexes could have contributed to the antioxidant and cytotoxic selectivity of the OCS02®. LC-MS/MS analysis identified several potential cytotoxic proteases and an oxalate decarboxylase protein which may exhibit protection effects on kidneys. The findings demonstrate the potential of OCS02® to be developed into functional food due to its promising superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity, cytotoxic effect and presence of biopharmaceutically active proteins.