Sanguinoderma rugosum (Agaricomycetes), a Wild Malaysian Medicinal Mushroom, Triggers Anti-Neuroinflammatory Genes Expression in LPS-Stimulated BV-2 Microglial Cells

Sanguinoderma rugosum (synonym: Amauroderma rugosum) is a wild medicinal mushroom reported to prevent epileptic episodes and constant crying in babies within indigenous communities in Malaysia. It also has potential applications in the management of oxidative-related diseases. The aim of this study was to reveal the potential candidate genes in understanding the neuroinflammatory signaling pathways modulated by S. rugosum in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells using microarray technology. This study showed that the hexane fraction (HF) of S. rugosum regulated 10 signaling pathways such as macrophage markers, MAPK, IL-1, oxidative damage, cytokines and inflammatory response, toll-like receptor, p38 MAPK, complement activation classical pathway, complement and coagulation cascades, and TNF-α NF-κB. HF downregulated the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-1α, and IL-6, as well as other pro-inflammatory signaling intermediates such as Traf1, Traf2, Cd14. Conversely, it upregulated the anti-inflammatory genes such as Nfkbia and Nfkbie. Besides, HF reduced the nitric oxide (NO) levels in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Taken together, these findings showed that HF of S. rugosum has anti-neuroinflammatory properties and could serve as baseline study for future investigation on the gene expression validation.