| Summary: | Two of the mycotoxins of greatest agroeconomic significance are aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> (AFB<sub>1</sub>), and ochratoxin A (OTA). It has been reported that extracts from some wood-decaying mushrooms, such as <i>Lentinula edodes</i> and <i>Trametes versicolor</i> showed the ability to inhibit AFB<sub>1</sub> or OTA biosynthesis. Therefore, in our study, a wide screening of 42 isolates of different ligninolytic mushrooms was assayed for their ability to inhibit the synthesis of OTA in <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> and AFB<sub>1</sub> in <i>Aspergillus flavus</i>, in order to find a metabolite that can simultaneously inhibit both mycotoxins. The results showed that four isolates produce metabolites able to inhibit the synthesis of OTA, and 11 isolates produced metabolites that inhibited AFB<sub>1</sub> by >50%. Two strains, the <i>Trametes versicolor</i> strain TV117 and the <i>Schizophyllum commune</i> strain S.C. Ailanto, produced metabolites able to significantly inhibit (>90%) the synthesis of both mycotoxins. Preliminary results suggest that the mechanism of efficacy of the <i>S. commune</i> rough and semipurified polysaccharides could be analogous to that found previously for Tramesan<sup>®</sup>, by enhancing the antioxidant response in the target fungal cells. The overall results indicate that <i>S. commune’s</i> polysaccharide(s) could be a potential agent(s) in biological control and/or a useful component of the integrated strategies able to control mycotoxin synthesis.
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