Isolation and identification of aromatic compounds in Lion’s Mane Mushroom and their anticancer activities

• Two new and five known aromatic compounds were isolated and identified from Lion’s Mane Mushroom.
• The anticancer effects of the isolated compounds were examined in HL-60 cells and potent activities were found.
• The effects of compounds 1 and 3 on the induction of apoptosis in HL-60 cells were investigated.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceum) is a traditional edible mushroom widely used in culinary applications and as an herbal medicine in East Asian countries. In the present study, two new aromatic compounds, hericerin A (1) and isohericenone J (5), along with five known compounds, isoericerin (2), hericerin (3), N-De phenylethyl isohericerin (4), hericenone J (6), and 4-[3′,7′-dimethyl-2′,6′-octadienyl]-2-formyl-3-hydroxy-5-methyoxybenzylalcohol (7), were isolated from a methanol extract of the fruiting bodies of H. erinaceum. The chemical structures of the compounds were determined from mass spectra and 1D- and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The anticancer effects of the isolated compounds were examined in HL-60 human acute promyelocytic leukaemia cells. Hericerin A (1) and hericerin (3) significantly reduced cell proliferation with IC50 values of 3.06 and 5.47 μM, respectively. These same compounds also induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells, accompanied by time-dependent down-regulation of p-AKT and c-myc levels. These data suggest that compounds 1 and 3 from H. erinaceum are suitable for use in potential cancer treatments.