Characterization of Erinacine-A

The wood-rot fungus known as the lion’s mane mushroom (H. erinaceus) has a long history of usage in ancient eastern medicine, noted for its health-boosting properties, particularly to neurological health. Claims include this mushroom’s ability to stimulate nerve growth as well as prevent the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. Recent studies on the subject have shown promising data supporting these anecdotal claims, proving the ability of extracts from this mushroom to stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF) in human cells, among other beneficial findings. This study seeks to assess the effectiveness of the diterpenoid erinacine-A, present in H. erinaceus for its effects on the progression of induced neurodegenerative disease in the model organism C. elegans. This study involves the production of mycelia and fruiting bodies from H. erinaceus, as well as the subsequent extraction of erinacine-A from these components. These extracts are then applied to the C. elegans test subjects, where the impact is then qualitatively recorded