Over the years, macromycete fungi have been used as a source of food, part of religious rites and rituals, and as a medicinal remedy. Species with strong health-promoting potential include Hericium erinaceus, Cordyceps militaris, Ganoderma lucidum, Pleurotus ostreatus, Flammulina velutipes, and Inonotus obliquus. These species contain many bioactive compounds, including β-glucans, endo- and exogenous amino acids, polyphenols, terpenoids, sterols, B vitamins, minerals, and lovastatin. The level of some biologically active substances is species-specific, e.g., hericenones and erinacines, which have neuroprotective properties, and supporting the production of nerve growth factor in the brain for Hericium erinaceus. Due to their high health-promoting potential, mushrooms and substances isolated from them have found applications in livestock nutrition, improving their welfare and productivity. This phenomenon may be of particular importance in the nutrition of laying hens and broiler chickens, where an increase in pathogen resistance to antibiotics has been observed in recent years. Gallus gallus domesticus is a key farm animal for meat and egg production, so the search for new compounds to support bird health is important for food safety. Studies conducted to date indicate that feed supplementation with mushrooms has a beneficial effect on, among other things, bird weight gain; bone mineralisation; and meat and egg quality, including the lipid profile and protein content and shell thickness, and promotes the development of beneficial microbiota, thereby increasing immunity.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have numerous applications in science and industry. Therefore, their potential phytotoxicity should be investigated. Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) is a useful model plant for assessing the effects of chemicals released into the environment. The aim of this study was to prepare alginate gels containing AuNPs for plant exposure experiments, evaluate their physicochemical properties, and determine their effects on selected biochemical parameters of garden cress seedlings. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized in sodium alginate at an initial concentration of 50 mg/L, using xylose and maltose as reducing agents. The gels were diluted with distilled water to obtain AuNP concentrations of 5 and 25 mg/L. Garden cress seeds were placed on filter paper soaked with the tested formulations, while distilled water and sodium alginate solutions without AuNPs served as controls. After 5 days of incubation at 20 °C under light conditions, the plant material was collected and selected bioactive compounds were determined. AuNP-containing gels significantly affected the biochemical status of the seedlings. In particular, AuNPs synthesized with xylose at 25 mg/L significantly increased the contents of photosynthetic pigments and total polyphenolic compounds. All tested AuNP formulations increased the antioxidant activity of seedlings, suggesting the activation of abiotic stress-related defense responses, however, direct markers of oxidative damage were not assessed in the present study. Overall, the results indicate that alginate-based AuNPs can modify selected biochemical parameters in garden cress seedlings, and these effects depend on nanoparticle concentration and reducing sugar used during synthesis, which may be relevant for the future development of plant-targeted nanomaterials for agricultural applications.

Due to the increasing antibiotic resistance of microorganisms, chronic diseases, and cancer, new-generation drugs such as imidazole derivatives are being sought. Recent advances in nanotechnology enable the potential use of nanomaterials, especially nanoparticles, as drug carriers for such compounds, but also systems capable of crossing biological barriers. This study aimed to perform a preliminary toxicological assessment of nanoparticles containing BzIm-DEA ((Z)-5-benzylidene-3-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl]-2-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one) embedded in chitosan films, using chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) as an alternative in vivo test. Fertilized chicken eggs were treated with this therapeutic agent at various concentrations of BzIm-DEA and incubated until the 11th day of embryogenesis. No morphological abnormalities, angiogenesis-related disorders, or increased mortality were observed in any of the experimental groups. A significant increase in Apaf-1 mRNA expression was detected in CAM tissue at a dose of D3 BzIm-DEA, while no significant changes were observed for caspase-3 and catalase compared to the control group. Moreover, no changes in gene expression were observed in the liver. Immunohistochemical localization and analysis of PCNA and b-catenin expression in chicken embryonic liver did not reveal any dose-dependent changes. Within the scope of this preliminary assessment, chitosan nanoparticles loaded with BzIm-DEA did not produce gross acute embryotoxicity or major disruptions to angiogenic development under the tested conditions, providing preliminary evidence of biocompatibility as a nanoparticle carrier system.