Composition Analysis and In Vitro Investigation on Antioxidant, α-Amylase, and Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitory Activities of Major Mushrooms in Qinling Mountains

Edible mushrooms exhibit a range of pharmacological activities, including anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-obesity, and hepatoprotective effects, thereby holding significant potential for applications in the development of functional foods. This study aimed to evaluate the bioactivities of methanolic extracts from various edible mushrooms (MEMs) found in the Qinling Mountains, China, with the following species used as materials: Suillus granulatus (L.) Roussel ( S. granulatus (L.) Roussel), Ramaria botrytoides (Peck) Corner ( R. botrytoides (Peck) Corner), Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer ( F. velutipes (Curtis) Singer), Agrocybe cylindracea (DC.) Maire ( A. cylindracea (DC.) Maire), Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Sing. ( L. edodes (Berk.) Sing.), Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. ( H. erinaceus (Bull.) Pers.), White Hypsizygus marmoreus (White H. marmoreus ), Auricularia auricular (L.ex Hook.) Undew ( A. auricular (L.ex Hook.) Undew), Hypsizygus marmoreus (white cultivar) ( H. marmoreus (white cultivar)), Pleurotus eryngii (DC. Fr) Qu. ( P. eryngii (DC. Fr) Qu.), Cordyceps militaris (L.) Link ( C. militaris (L.) Link), Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler ( L. edodes (Berk.) Pegler), Hypsizygus marmoreus (brown cultivar) ( H. marmoreus (brown cultivar)), and Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers. ( M. esculenta (L.) Pers.). We examined the total polyphenol, total flavonoid, and total polysaccharide content of MEMs. And quantified the 12 monomeric phenolic substances contained in the MEMs by high-performance liquid chromatography. The antioxidant activity in vitro was studied by determining the DPPH• scavenging capacity, ABTS + • scavenging capacity, and Fe 2+ reduction capacity, whereas the inhibition rates of α-amylase and pancreatic lipase were used to evaluate the enzyme-inhibiting capacity of each edible mushroom. Significant differences were found in the chemical composition and in vitro activity of the extracts from different sources. Our results showed that R. botrytoides (Peck) Corner had the highest total polyphenols and flavonoid content, which were 28.57 ± 0.85 and 32.33 ± 0.37 mg/g, respectively, among the edible mushrooms. Among the 14 edible mushrooms, Pleurotus eryngii (DC. Fr) Qu had the highest total polysaccharide content of 503.73 ± 0.24 mg/g. The antioxidant activity and pancreatic lipase inhibition of R. botrytoides (Peck) Corner methanol extract were superior to other edible mushrooms, while A. auricular (L.ex Hook.) Undew showed the highest inhibition of α-amylase activity. These results reveal that the active substances in R. botrytoides (Peck) Corner are abundant and have good antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory capacity, which can provide theoretical support for the subsequent development and utilization of R. botrytoides (Peck) Corner. These findings help to inform and guide the exploration and development of the species of edible mushrooms, which can serve as a theoretical basis for the advancement of natural functional foods possessing antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic effects. Graphical Edible mushrooms are nutritious, low in calories, and extremely high in biologically active substances, making them an important source of nutraceuticals as well as biologically active metabolites for use as drugs.