Abstract
Acid-extracted polyamine fraction from the fruit bodies of 143 mushroom species were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. Homospermidine, norspermidine, norspermine, thermospermine and canavalmine, in addition to common polyamines, putrescine, cadaverine, agmatine, spermidine and spermine, were detected in one third of the analyzed mushrooms. This is the first report on systematic screening of cellular polyamines in mushrooms belonging to the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. The widespread occurrence of canavalmine was coupled with a high homospermidine level. Norspermidine, norspermine, and thermospermine were found together but did not coexist with canavalmine.
