Lipid and fatty acid profile of the edible fungus Laetiporus sulphurous. Antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Laetiporus sulphureus is a saprophyte belonging to a specific group of wood-decomposing Basidiomycetes growing on deciduous trees. This fungus has been characterized as a herbal medicine and is also known for its antimicrobial properties. In the present study, high energy extraction techniques using different solvents were compared to obtain maximum yield of the edible fungus Laetiporus sulphureus total lipids. The lipid classes and fatty acid composition of the fruiting bodies' total lipids has been studied using GC-FID and Iatroscan TLC-FID analysis. Among the lipids, the neutral lipids predominated followed by phospholipids and glycolipids. Triglycerides were the most abundant in the neutral lipid fraction, whereas phosphatidylcholine in phospholipids. The existence of relatively high amount of sterols may be correlated to fungus pharmaceutical properties. Total lipids were found to contain high unsaturated degree fatty acids (UFA/SFA>3.4) and dominated of C18:2ω-6, C18:1ω-9 and C16:0 fatty acids. Antibacterial and antifungal properties of mushrooms' lipid extracts from two different solvents were also examined. Results indicated that hexane extracts possessed better antifungal and slightly better antibacterial activity compared to chloroform extracts though both were less active than the commercial antimicrobial agents.