Production and Quantification of Eritadenine, a Cholesterol Reducing Compound in Shiitake

Cardiovascular diseases are among the main causes of death in our society and there is a strong correlation between enhanced blood cholesterol levels and the development of such diseases. The popular edible fungus, shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes), has been shown to produce a blood cholesterol lowering compound designated eritadenine, and the hypocholesterolemic action of this compound has been quite extensively examined in rats. Eritadenine is suggested to accelerate the removal of blood cholesterol either by stimulating tissue uptake or by inhibiting tissue release; there are no indications of this compound inhibiting the biosynthesis of cholesterol. If shiitake mushrooms are to be used as a source for a potential cholesterol reducing product, it is of great importance to determine the content of eritadenine in the mushrooms as accurately as possible. Hence, in paper I methanol extraction was used to recover as much as possible of the hypocholesterolemic agent from the fungal cells. In order to analyse the target compound, a reliable and reproducible HPLC method for separation, identification and quantification of eritadenine was developed. The amount