Chemical Constituents ofGymnopilus spectabilisand Their Antioxidant Activity

Gymnopilus spectabilis, a hallucinogenic mushroom with a bitter taste, contains psilocybin. From its fruiting bodies, four compounds were isolated: 4,6-decadiyne-1,3,8-triol, ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one, bisnoryangonin, and hispidin. Bisnoryangonin and hispidin showed strong scavenging activity against ABTS, DPPH, and superoxide radicals, indicating antioxidant potential. The other two compounds had no antioxidant activity.

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Abstract

Gymnopilus spectabilis, a hallucinogenic mushroom belonging to the family Cortinariaceae, is found growing in dense clusters on stumps and logs of hardwoods and conifers. It contains the hallucinogenic alkaloid psilocybin and its strongly bitter taste makes it undesirable as an edible. In an effort to identify chemical constituents of Korean native wild mushrooms, 4,6-decadiyne-1,3,8-triol (1), ergosta-4,6,8(14), 22-tetraen-3-one (2), bisnoryangonin (3), and hispidin (4) were isolated from the methanolic extract of the fruiting bodies of G. spectabilis. Their structures were assigned on the basis of various spectroscopic studies. Compounds 3 and 4 displayed significant scavenging activity against the ABTS radical cation, DPPH radical, and superoxide radical anion, while 1 and 2 exhibited no antioxidant activity.