What are antioxidants?

The body’s trillion or so cells face formidable threats, from lack of food to infection with a virus. Another constant threat comes from chemicals called free radicals. In very high levels, they are capable of damaging cells and genetic material. The body generates free radicals as the inevitable byproducts of turning food into energy. Free […]

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How can antioxidants benefit our health?

Antioxidants can prevent or slow cell damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that the body produces as a reaction to environmental and other pressures. They can increase the risk of inflammation and various health issues. They are sometimes called “free-radical scavengers.” The sources of antioxidants can be natural or artificial. Certain […]

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Grifola frondosa (maitake mushroom) water extract inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor-induced angiogenesis through inhibition of reactive oxygen species and extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation

Abstract Grifola frondosa, a large edible mushroom also known as maitake, has been used as a health food for centuries in China and Japan. In the present study, we examined anti-angiogenic activity of a water extract of the fruiting body of G. frondosa (GFW). An in vivo angiogenesis assay using chick chorioallantoic membrane revealed that […]

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Antioxidant Properties and Antioxidant Compounds of Various Extracts from the Edible Basidiomycete Grifola Frondosa (Maitake)

Abstract Grifola frondosa is an edible mushroom currently available in Taiwan. Ethanolic, cold-water and hot-water extracts were prepared and their antioxidant properties were investigated. At 1 mg/mL, G. frondosa T1 and T2 cold-water extracts showed high reducing powers of 1.02 and 0.50, respectively. Chelating abilities on ferrous ions of G. frondosa T1 and T2 were higher for cold-water extracts than […]

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Agaricus brasiliensis Mushroom Protects Against Sepsis by Alleviating Oxidative and Inflammatory Response

Sepsis is characterized by the host’s dysregulated immune response to an infection followed by a potentially fatal organ dysfunction. Although there have been some advances in the treatment of sepsis, mainly focused on broad-spectrum antibiotics, mortality rates remain high, urging for the search of new therapies. Oxidative stress is one of the main features of […]

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Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Microbial-Modulating Activities of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods

Abstract The ability of Agaricus blazei mushroom in its dried and powdered mycelial form was evaluated for its antigenotoxic properties for the first time. Antigenotoxic effects in human peripheral blood cells against H2O2-induced DNA damage were examined in pretreatment and posttreatment protocol by comet assay. The results showed better antigenotoxic properties of Agaricus blazei on the interventional level, respectively, […]

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Antioxidant activity of Agaricus sp. mushrooms by chemical, biochemical and electrochemical assays

Abstract The antioxidant activity of five Agaricus sp. mushrooms was screened through chemical, biochemical and electrochemical techniques. The chemical assays allowed an evaluation of their reducing power and radical scavenging activity, while biochemical assays evaluated the lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity, using erythrocytes and brain cells as models; the electrochemical characterization of the mushrooms extracts were performed by […]

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Antioxidant Action of an Aqueous Extract of Royal Sun Medicinal Mushroom, Agaricus brasiliensis (Agaricomycetes), in Rats with Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible effects of the administration of an aqueous Agaricus brasiliensis extract on the oxidative state of the liver, brain, and plasma in adjuvant-induced arthritic rats, a model for human rheumatoid arthritis. Daily doses of 400 mg · kg-1 were administered by gavage for 23 days. This […]

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Antioxidant Activity of Agaricus brasiliensis Basidiocarps on Different Maturation Phases

Abstract Different maturation phases of basidiocarp could affect the bioactivity and concentration of some active substances. A. brasiliensis Wasser et al. (A. blazei Murrill) has shown antitumor activity that could be related to the antioxidant activity. However there is no information of the best basidiocarp maturation phase for extracting antioxidant substances in order to determine the moment of harvesting […]

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Tremella fuciformis Polysaccharides Attenuate Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Macrophages through miR-155

Abstract Aim: To investigate the function of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides (TFPS) in LPS-induced inflammation and oxidative stress of macrophages. Methods: RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with TFPS and then stimulated with 0.1 μg/ml LPS. NFκB, Akt, p38MAPK, MCP-1, and SOD-1 were analyzed by Western blotting. Cell viability was measured using MTT assays. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, real-time PCR, ELISA, and […]

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