DETECTION OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND AMINO ACIDS FROM FRUITING BODIES OF Morchella tridentina

Morels are well known due to their nutritional and food value since ancient human history. In this study, biochemical and proteomic analyses were carried out on the ascocarp of Morchella tridentina Bres. For this, several ascocarp of M. tridentina were collected from different sites of Neelum Valley Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Identification was confirmed by phylogenetic sequencing using nuclear ribosomal DNA bar-coding technique along with morph-anatomical analysis. During the biochemical analysis, different bioactive compounds used in drugs to treat cancer, heart diseases, edema (veprisinium, visnagin, and bumetanide), and breast cancer (petunidin) were identified. Cerulinin, daidzein, guanthidin and okanin (imperative compounds) were also detected. Furthermore, protein analysis by FTICR/MS/Orbitrap revealed the presence of 921 proteins belonging to 171 protein groups having 165 unique peptide sequences. The study shows that this morel could be used as a source of bioactive substances to develop anticancer, antifungal, and antiviral drugs in the future. This fruitful addition of M. tridentina in Mycota of Pakistan increases the number of morels to three.