Bioactivities of Protein Hydrolysates Prepared from Schizophyllum commune

Schizophyllum commune, commonly known as the split gill mushroom, is a well-known source of beneficial bioactive compounds that support human health. However, potential uses of peptides generated by digestion of the protein extract from this mushroom has not been well studied. In this study, the proteins extracted from S. commune were isolated and subsequently hydrolyzed with Alcalase® (80 mU/g of protein powder) to produce S. commune protein hydrolysates. Fractionation of the hydrolysate was performed by ultrafiltration with 50, 10, and 3 kDa molecular weight (MW) cut-off. The biological activities of the protein hydrolysates including their anti-cancer and antioxidant properties were found to be different from those of the non-hydrolyzed proteins. The antioxidant activity of protein hydrolysates exhibited the greatest 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values as assessed by DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assay. The effectiveness of the hydrolysate in reducing the survival rate of the SW480 human colorectal cancer cell line was also examined. The protein hydrolysates markedly reduce the viability of the SW480 cell line in comparison to the crude intact protein. These findings suggested that protein hydrolysates obtained from the fruiting body of S. commune had potential applications as a functional food additive.