Ferreira Isabel C F R, Barros Lillian, Abreu Rui M V
Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Sta. Apolónia, 1172, 5301-855 Bragança, Portugal.
Curr Med Chem. 2009;16(12):1543-60. doi: 10.2174/092986709787909587.
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.
自由基产生与抗氧化防御（酶促和非酶促）之间维持平衡是机体正常运作的必要条件。当这种平衡倾向于自由基产生时，我们就说机体处于氧化应激状态。在这种情况下，过量的自由基可能会损害细胞脂质、蛋白质和DNA，影响正常功能并导致各种疾病。在需氧生物中，自由基在正常细胞代谢过程中不断产生，主要以活性氧（ROS）和活性氮（RNS）的形式存在。机体暴露于自由基中促使了内源性防御机制的发展以消除它们。这些防御机制是进化对需氧条件下ROS产生必然性的反应。具有抗氧化活性的天然产物可能有助于内源性防御系统。从这个角度来看，饮食中的抗氧化剂作为可能减少氧化损伤的保护剂具有重要意义。特别是，我们研究小组和其他团队对野生蘑菇的抗氧化特性进行了广泛研究，并且已经鉴定出许多从这些来源提取的抗氧化化合物，如酚类化合物、生育酚、抗坏血酸和类胡萝卜素。我们将综述迄今为止在蘑菇中鉴定出的化合物，以及它们抗氧化特性所涉及的作用机制。野生蘑菇可直接用于饮食并促进健康，利用其中所有生物活性化合物的相加和协同作用。
