Antiallergic Activity of the Wild Mushrooms of Nepal and the Pure Compound Hispidin.

In the present study, ethanol extracts of 90 wild mushroom samples from Nepal, and the pure compound hispidin, were screened for their ability to inhibit β-hexosaminidase release (BHR) from rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 cells. Simultaneously, the toxicity of the extracts toward the cells was also determined, using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Samples belonging to the groups Hymenochaetales and Polyporales showed promising anti-allergic activity, with Phellinus adamantinus and Ganoderma lingzhi 3 allowing a mere 19.4% and 16.7% BHR, respectively, without any cell cytotoxicity. Moreover, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for Inonotus clemensiae and P. adamantinus were determined to be 51.24 and 50.65 μg/mL, respectively; whereas hispidin, the major bioactive compound in I. clemensiae showed an IC50 value of 82.47 μg/mL. These findings are crucial in underscoring the medicinal value of the wild mushrooms of Nepal, as a source of strong antiallergic agents.