Abstract: The anti-tumor activity of petroleum ether extract and ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide extracted from Tricholoma mongolicum fruit bodies was studied by measuring their effects on tumor inhibitory rate, immune organ indexes and immune factor contents in H22-bearing mice. Besides, the effects of ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide on cellular apoptosis were investigated. Petroleum ether extract at 50 mg/(kg•d) did not have any tumor growth inhibitory activity. The tumor inhibitory rates of petroleum ether extraction residue at 35 mg/(kg•d) and ergosterol peroxide at 5 mg/(kg•d) were 69.61% and 67.15%, respectively. Each treatment group showed a higher thymus index compared with positive control group (cyclophosphamide) and highly significant differences were observed for high-dose (70 mg/(kg•d) petroleum ether extraction residue group and high-dose (10 mg/(kg•d) ergosterol peroxide group (P≤0.01). However, there were irregular differences in spleen index between treatment and control groups. Serum VD content in petroleum ether extract groups was relatively close to normal control group, but ergosterol at 5 mg/(kg•d) and ergosterol peroxide at 5 mg/(kg•d) and 10 mg/(kg•d) revealed a highly significant difference compared with normal control group (P≤0.01). Furthermore, a significant increase in serum IL-2 level was found for each treatment group compared with normal control group and there was a highly significant difference compared with positive control and negative control groups (P≤0.01). The results of cellular apoptosis tests indicated that both ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide could induce the apoptosis of HepG2 cells and inhibit their division and resulted in an apoptotic rate at the early stage of 41.2% and 42.33%, respectively.

Key words: petroleum ether extract, ergosterol, ergosterol peroxide, immune factor, apoptosis