Determining the cytotoxic activities of extracts derived from Lepista nuda

Macrofungi are used as food and for therapy since centuries. Among macrofungi, Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi, Ling Zhi) known more than two thousand years and called as mushroom of immortality in China. Numerous researches show that this mushroom is effective on cancer cells. Ganoderma extracts or isolated compounds cause cell cycle arrest or apoptotic cell death. On the other hand it was observed that there are papers in the literature on biological activities of Lepista nuda which will be studied in scope of this thesis. It was reported that active substances were isolated from other species of the same genus and from members from Tricholomataceae family also include Lepista nuda. In scope of this thesis extractions depended on polarity increase was made from edible mushroom Lepista nuda. Obtained extracts was applied to HL-60 (leukemia) and MCF-7 (breast cancer) cancer cell lines. As positive control paclitaxel and doxorubicin was used. 40 mg/ml concentration of methanol extract was found effective on both cell lines. The extract has showed fairly good level of biologic activity in HL-60 cell line with regarded both proliferation and apoptotic effect.