Issue Information

Front coverThe traditional medicinal mushroom Hericium erinaceus, also known as lion ’s mane mushroom has bioactive compounds with neurotrophic activity. Here, we purified and identified biologically active molecules isolated from H. erinaceus, based on their ability to promote neurite extensive outgrowth in hippocampal neurons. We found that N-de phenylethyl isohericerin (NDPIH) and its hydrophobic derivative hericene A, were highly potent in inducing neurite outgrowth and branching in cultured hippocampal neurons. In addition, mice feed with hericene A showed both increased BDNF signaling and enhanced hippocampal memory performance. Biochemical analysis revealed that the a forementioned neurotrophic effects are independent but convergent to BDNF/TrkB pathway. Our results reveal potent bioactive compounds derived fromH. erinaceus. These molecules are very attractive compounds for their neurotrophic properties. Our findings open the door to identifying novel mushroom-derived compounds as an strategy for the development of sustainable therapeutical interventions to revert the cognitive decline associated with ageing and neurodegenerative diseases.Image contentConfocal image of a giant growth cone from an hippocampal neuron elicited by NDPIH. Immunocytochemistry against tubulin (mouse anti- βIII tubulin primary antibody, and Alexa FluorTM 488-goat-anti-mouse secondary antibody, green) and actin (Alexa-FluorTM 647-phalloidin, magenta).Read the full article‘Hericerin derivat...
Source: Journal of Neurochemistry - Category: Neuroscience Tags: ISSUE INFORMATION Source Type: research