Cytotoxicity of Macropsalliota ferruginascens, sp. nov., against human cells

Samantha S. Wanderley, Erica S. Falcão, Yuri V. Santos, Ricardo Koroiva, Gardenia C.G. Militão, Tatiana B. Gibertoni, Renato L. Mendes-Alvarenga, Phongeun Sysouphanthong & Felipe Wartchow

Sydowia 79: 99-114

Published online on July 2nd, 2026

Macropsalliota Kun L. Yang, Jia Ying Lin & Zhu L. Yang was recently segregated from the Leucoagaricus/Leucocoprinus clade within Agaricaceae. Species in this genus are saprotrophic, characterized by robust basidiomata with distinctive staining reactions. Members of Agaricaceae have long been recognized for their significance in human nutrition and medicine. Despite their potential, the biotechnological properties of native Brazilian agarics remain largely understudied. In this context, the present study aimed to describe M. ferruginascens as a new species based on morphological and molecular analyses of nrDNA-ITS, nuc rDNA LSU (28S), rpb2, and TEF-1a, to evaluate its activity against cell lung carcinoma, chronic myelogenous leukemia, colorectal carcinoma, and normal human lung fibroblast using MTT assays, for which the new species presented low cytotoxicity. In addition, a bromatological analysis showed a high percentage of protein in the dry weight of its original content. This study contributes to the improvement of knowledge of the Brazilian mycological diversity and of its potential for economic value and biotechnological applications.

Keywords: Agaricomycetes, cytotoxicity, Neotropics, taxonomy.

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