Antioxidant Versus Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Mushroom-Enriched Diets on Mitochondria in Liver Disease

Author: mycolabadmin
2019-08-16
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Summary

This research examines how mushrooms can help treat liver diseases through their effects on cellular powerhouses called mitochondria. Mushrooms contain natural compounds that can reduce liver inflammation, combat oxidative stress, and even trigger death of liver cancer cells while protecting healthy cells. The findings suggest mushrooms could be valuable therapeutic agents for liver conditions. Impacts on everyday life: – Adding medicinal mushrooms to diet may help prevent or manage fatty liver disease – Mushroom supplements could provide natural alternatives to pharmaceutical treatments – Understanding mushroom effects helps develop better targeted therapies – Dietary mushrooms may improve overall liver health and metabolism – Research supports traditional uses of medicinal mushrooms in modern medicine

Background

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic condition characterized by fat accumulation in over 5% of liver tissue, occurring without other recognized causes like alcohol or viral infection. NAFLD can progress from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which involves inflammation and cell damage. Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in this disease progression and in controlling cell death signaling during advancement to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Objective

This review examines the diverse effects of mushroom-enriched diets in liver disease, with emphasis on mitochondria-dependent mechanisms. The aim is to evaluate how mushroom bioactive compounds affect mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and cell death pathways in the context of NAFLD progression.

Results

Mushroom-enriched diets and isolated compounds showed beneficial effects on insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress and inflammation by regulating nutrient uptake and lipid metabolism while modulating cellular antioxidant activity. Mushrooms also demonstrated ability to modulate gut microbiota, reducing liver inflammation during NAFLD progression. Additionally, certain mushroom extracts exhibited anti-tumorigenic properties by inducing cell death through mitochondrial apoptosis pathways.

Conclusion

Mushroom compounds offer therapeutic potential for NAFLD and NASH through multiple mechanisms including improved mitochondrial function, reduced oxidative stress, and selective induction of apoptosis in cancer cells. Their ability to beneficially affect multiple aspects of disease progression makes them promising candidates for therapeutic development.

Published in:International Journal of Molecular Sciences,
Study Type:Review,
Source: 10.3390/ijms20163987