RT Journal Article ID 61f0f56f26707937 A1 Liaw, Chih-Chuang A1 Wu, Shu-Jing A1 Chen, Ching-Fu A1 Lai, Ming-Nan A1 Ng, Lean-Teik T1 Anti-Inflammatory Activity and Bioactive Constituents of Cultivated Fruiting Bodies of Xylaria nigripes (Ascomycetes), a Chinese Medicinal Fungus JF International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms JO IJM YR 2017 FD 2017-11-29 VO 19 IS 10 SP 915 OP 924 K1 anti-inflammatory K1 bioactive compounds K1 medicinal mushroom K1 Xylaria nigripes AB Xylaria nigripes, also known as Wu Ling Shen, is popular for treating insomnia and trauma in traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to examine the anti-inflammatory activity and bioactive constituents of cultivated X. nigripes fruiting bodies in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Results showed that among the different extracts, the hexane fraction exhibited the best protection against cell toxicity induced by 1 μg/mL LPS and the strongest inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production. This fraction led to the isolation of 2 bioactive compounds (namely, XN-CP1 and XN-CP2), which were confirmed to be ergostarien-3β-ol and ergosterol peroxide, respectively. Although both XN-CP1 and XN-CP2 showed good inhibitory effects on NO, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and prostaglandin E2 production in LPS-stimulated macrophages, XN-CP2 was shown to have a stronger anti-inflammatory activity; this was further supported by its strong suppressive effects on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. These results conclude that ergosterol peroxide (XN-CP2) could be the main bioactive compound contributing to the potent anti-inflammatory activity of X. nigripes, and its mechanism of action is mediated through inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression via the NF-κB signaling pathway. PB Begell House LK https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,305c54e9703680c8,61f0f56f26707937.html