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Ergothioneine

Ergothioneine is an amino acid found mainly in mushrooms, but also in king crabs, the meat of animals that have eaten grasses containing ergothioneine and other foods. Ergothioneine is also used as a medicine. Ergothioneine is used for liver damage, clouding of the eye lens, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and heart disease. Ergothioneine is sometimes applied directly to the skin to prevent wrinkles, reduce the signs of aging and reduce damage to the skin from sun exposure.

How does ergothioneine work?

Scientists are studying ergothioneine to determine whether this amino acid can reduce inflammatory swelling in the lungs and damage to the liver, kidneys and brain.

How effective is ergothioneine?

There is not enough scientific data to say how effective ergothioneine is for liver damage, clouding of the eye lens, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and heart disease, and when applied to the skin to reduce the signs of aging. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of ergothioneine in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Ergothioneine is probably safe when used in the amounts that occur naturally in food. However, there is not enough information on whether ergothioneine is safe and harmless when used as a supplement for medical purposes.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of ergothioneine during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid ergothioneine.

Interactions

There is currently no information on interactions between ergothioneine and medications or supplements.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of ergothioneine depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to be able to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for ergothioneine. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

  1. Cargnoni A, Bernocchi P, Ceconi C, et al. In vitro administration of ergothioneine failed to protect isolated ischaemic and reperfused rabbit heart. Biochim Biophys Acta 1995;1270:173-8.
  2. Deiana M, Rosa A, Casu V, et al. L-ergothioneine modulates oxidative damage in the kidney and liver of rats in vivo: studies upon the profile of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Clin Nutr 2004;23:183-93.
  3. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid= 786bafc6f6343634fbf79fcdca7061e1&rgn=div5&view= text&node=21:3.0.1.1.13&idno=21
  4. Franzoni F, Colognato R, Galetta F, et al. An in vitro study on the free radical scavenging capacity of ergothioneine: comparison with reduced glutathione, uric acid and trolox. Biomed Pharmacother 2006;60:453-7.
  5. Grundemann D, Harlfinger S, Golz S, et al. Discovery of the ergothioneine transporter. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005;102:5256-61.
  6. Guijarro MV, Indart A, Aruoma OI, et al. Effects of ergothioneine on diabetic embryopathy in pregnant rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2002;40:1751-5.
  7. Jang JH, Aruoma OI, Jen LS, et al. Ergothioneine rescues PC12 cells from beta-amyloid-induced apoptotic death. Free Radic Biol Med 2004;36:288-99.
  8. Mitsuyama H, May JM. Uptake and antioxidant effects of ergothioneine in human erythrocytes. Clin Sci (Lond) 1999;97:407-11.
  9. Moncaster JA, Walsh DT, Gentleman SM, et al. Ergothioneine treatment protects neurons against N-methyl-D-aspartate excitotoxicity in an in vivo rat retinal model. Neurosci Lett 2002;328:55-9.
  10. Rahman I, Gilmour PS, Jimenez LA, et al. Ergothioneine inhibits oxidative stress- and TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappa B activation and interleukin-8 release in alveolar epithelial cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003;302:860-4.
  11. Sakrak O, Kerem M, Bedirli A, et al. Ergothioneine modulates proinflammatory cytokines and heat shock protein 70 in mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion injury. J Surg Res 2008;144:36-42.