Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated a number of physiological functions for shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes), among which the antioxidant activity has been evaluated primarily using conventional chemical techniques. To date, there have been no reports on the anti-oxidative stress effect or on the antioxidant enzyme induction activity of shiitake/shiitake artifact. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the anti-oxidative stress effect of shiitake grown in Miyazaki Prefecture and shiitake artifact from luminescence values obtained using a HepG2-ARE luciferase reporter assay system. The results showed that shiitake exhibited an anti-oxidative stress effect and, based on western blot analysis, was able to induce the expression of the antioxidant enzyme HO-1. Moreover, the anti-oxidative stress effect was found to be retained in dried shiitake. It is possible that the anti-oxidative stress effect of shiitake might be increased via heat processing or lactic acid fermentation.
