PHYTOCHEMICAL AND CYTOTOXIC INVESTIGATION ON OYSTER MUSHROOM (PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS)

Abstract

Brine shrimp nauplli (Artemia salina) have been used as a bioassay for a variety of cytotoxic substances. In this study, hot water (HW) extract, methanol chloroform (MC) extract and fractions of MC extract i.e., petroleum ether (PE) and residual (R) fractions were collected from the fruiting bodies of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). The cytotoxic effect of each extract and fraction was determined using brine shrimp nauplii and the LC values of HW extract, MC extract, PE and R fractions were found to be 20.89, 18.62, 6.91 and 15.84 $\mu$ g/mL, respectively. In preliminary phytochemical investigation by thin layer chromatography (TLC), it was found that MC extract, PE and R fractions of oyster mushroom contained steroid and terpenoid like compounds. This study confirmed the PE fraction as a source of highly cytotoxic compounds.