Available online www.jocpr.com Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 2014, 6(4):950-953 Research Article ISSN : 0975-7384 CODEN(USA) : JCPRC5 950 Phytochemicals and antioxidant potentials of Pleurotus djamor Sasidhara R. and Thirunalasundari T. Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT Qualitative analysis of phytochemicals of P.djamor revealed the presence of anthroquinones, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids. Cardiac glycosides and steroids were absent. The total amount of phenolic content present in the P.djamor extract was found to be 32.55 ± 0.21 mg/g gallic acid equivalent of phenols and flavonoid content was 1.53 ± 0.11 mg/g quercetin equivalent of flavonoids. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH method and the positive result suggests that the methanolic extract of the mushroom was a free radical scavenger. 100 μg/ml of mushroom extract and ascorbic acid exhibited 76.4% and 99.3% inhibition respectively. The IC 50 values were found to be 64.72 and 29.42 μg/ml for mushroom and ascorbic acid, respectively. Key words: Antioxidant activity, DPPH assay, free radical scavenger, total phenol, total flavonoid _____________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Edible mushrooms are valuable healthy foods, having rich source of vitamins, proteins and minerals, especially in potassium and phosphorus. They are also low in calories and fats [1]. There has been a recent upsurge of interest in mushrooms not only as a health vegetable (food) which is rich in protein but also as a source of biologically active compounds of medicinal value. The most important new pharmaceutical products from medicinal mushrooms include polysaccharides, antioxidants, and lectins (Guillot and Konska, 1997; Wasser, 2002; Ng, 2004). The antioxidants found in mushrooms are of great interest as possible protective agents to help human body to reduce oxidative damage without interference. Mushrooms accumulate a variety of secondary metabolites, including phenolic compounds, polyketides, terpenes and steroids. Phenolic compounds were found to have antioxidant activity in the inhibition of LDL oxidation [2]. Some common edible mushrooms like Pleutous sp., which are widely consumed in Asian culture, have been found to possess antioxidant activity, which is well correlated with their total phenolic content. Phytochemicals in food materials and their effects on health, especially the suppression of active oxygen species by natural antioxidants from tea, spices and herbs have been extensively studied [3]. The genus Pleurotus comprises a group of edible ligninolytic mushrooms with medicinal properties and important biotechnological and environmental applications. The cultivation of Pleurotus sp. is economically important in food industry worldwide which has expanded in the past few years. Pleurotus is the third most important cultivated mushroom for food purposes. Nutritionally, it has unique flavor and aromatic properties, and it is considered to be rich in protein, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Pleurotus spp. are promising as medicinal mushrooms, exhibiting hematological, antiviral, antitumor, antibiotic, antibacterial, hypocholesterolic and immunomodulating activities [4].