Micotherapy

Sulfuric-flavored compounds were extracted from shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and their inhibitory activity against platelet aggregation was investigated. Platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid and U-46619, the analog of thromboxane A(2), was inhibited by the essential oil from shiitake that contained lenthionine as a major sulfuric compound. This result indicates that the inhibitory site of the shiitake flavor compounds would be different from that of garlic-flavor compounds because the latter inhibits the passage between arachidonic acid and thromboxane A(2). The effect of the synthesized lenthionine was almost equivalent to that of the essential oil, which indicates that the inhibitory activity of the essential oil from shiitake would be mainly attributed to lenthionine.