Comparison of Physiological Activity of Solvent Extracts from Hericium erinaceus

The present study investigated antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of Hericium erinaceus extracts obtained with acetone, ethyl acetate, and methanol. These extracts were evaluated for antioxidant activities by total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ABTS radical scavenging activity. ABTS radical scavenging activity of the methanol extract showed the highest value similar to that of standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid. The acetone extract and ethyl acetate extract had relatively high total flavonoid contents and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Antimicrobial activities were determined by using disc diffusion method with four strains of Gram-negative bacteria and eleven strains of Gram-positive bacteria including nine oral bacteria. The ethyl acetate extract had antimicrobial activity against Grampositive bacteria, whereas the methanol extract showed inhibitory effect against Gram-negative bacteria. For the microbial activity of oral bacteria, the most of H. erinaceus extracts were effective to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans.