Antioxidants in Wild Mushrooms

Abstract

Maintenance of equilibrium between free radical production and antioxidant defences (enzymatic and non enzymatic) is an essential condition for normal organism functioning. When this equilibrium has a tendency for the production of free radicals we say that the organism is in oxidative stress. In this situation, excess free radicals may damage cellular lipids, proteins and DNA, affecting normal function and leading to various diseases. In aerobic organisms, the free radicals are constantly produced during the normal cellular metabolism, mainly in the form of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS). Exposition of the organism to free radicals has led to the development of endogenous defence mechanisms to eliminate them. These defences were the response of evolution to the inevitability of ROS production in aerobic conditions. Natural products with antioxidant activity may help the endogenous defence system. In this perspective the antioxidants present in the diet assume a major importance as possible protector agents reducing oxidative damage. Particularly, the antioxidant properties of wild mushrooms have been extensively studied by our research group and by others, and many antioxidant compounds extracted from these sources have been identified, such as phenolic compounds, tocopherols, ascorbic acid, and carotenoids. We will review the compounds identified so far in mushrooms, as well as the mechanism of action involved in their antioxidant properties. Wild mushrooms might be used directly in diet and promote health, taking advantage of the additive and synergistic effects of all the bioactive compounds present.

Phytopharmacologic preparations as predictors of plant bioactivity: A particular approach to Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench antioxidant properties

“…So, tocopherols present a pivotal importance at intracellular level, and its absence increase the membrane fragility and consequent vulnerability to the free radicals attack. Among them, α-tocopherol is the isoform with the highest biological potential [27], which explains and even confirms the obtained promissory antioxidant potential of the fresh preparation obtained from E. g/100 mL) the most prominent (which is in agreement with the indication of the package label), in the tablets only sorbitol (0.34±0.01 g/tablet) and vestigial amounts of sucrose were detected. Among the following organic acids identified, namely citric, oxalic, malic, xiquimic and succinic acids, citric acid was the most abundant in tablets (1.41±0.21 g/tablet), while in syrup it was succinic acid (0.93±0.01 g/100 mL).…”

“…Indeed, not only environmental and alimentary patterns acts as main triggering factors, but also free radicals overproduction by organic metabolism plays an important role [23][24][25][26]. In spite of the human body possess proper detoxifying mechanisms, the lost of the organic homeostasis leads to several changes in metabolic pathways which consequently improves the oxidative stress, mainly characterized by lipid, protein and DNA modifications, and then the likelihood of diseases/disorders occurrence [27,19]. E. purpurea has been showing promissory antioxidant properties, most of them directly related with its richness in phenolic compounds, including flavonoids and phenolic acids [6,19,28].…”

Can Suillus granulatus (L.) Roussel be classified as a functional food?

“…In fact, mushrooms have been described as a source of these compounds. 14,36 Analysing the results obtained for the fatty acids profile ( Table 3), we can conclude that mushrooms are a good source of "good fats", namely mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFA and PUFA, respectively). Actually, these were the prevailing fatty acids in both samples (21.30% -64.40% of total FA).…”

“…Wild mushrooms have also been referred to as having bioactive properties, namely antioxidant 36 and antimicrobial 40 potential. For this reason, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the studied mushroom species were also evaluated.…”

Bioactive composition, antimicrobial activities and the influence of Agrocybe aegerita (Brig.) Sing on certain quorum-sensing-regulated functions and biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

“…11,12 It is estimated that there are about 140000 species of mushrooms on earth and of these only 22000 are known and only a small percentage (5%) has been investigated. 6 Therefore, it is necessary to expand the knowledge and methods available to identify the bioactive components in mushrooms that act on specific target microorganisms or responsible for antioxidant properties.…”