Edible mushroom Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers. mycelium protects DNA and mitochondria from radiation induced damages

Abstract

Mushrooms have gained great attraction not only for their nutritional and medicinal values but also for diversity of their bioactive components. Morchella esculenta, commonly called Morel, is an edible and nutritious mushroom. In the present study, we evaluated the radioprotective effect of cultured mycelium of M. esculenta against radiation induced damages in mouse spleen lymphocyte DNA and rat liver mitochondria. The mitochondria were exposed to 450 Gy g-radiation and lipid peroxidation caused by radiation was studied by LOOH assay and TBARS assay. M. esculenta extract at a concentration of 200 and 50 µg/mL significantly inhibited the formation of LOOH and TBARS formation in mitochondria. The protective effect of M. esculenta against radiation-induced damage to DNA in the spleen lymphocyte was measured using comet assay. Spleen lymphocytes were exposed to γ-radiation at a dose of 6 Gy in the presence and absence of the extract and the strand break were analyzed. The extract inhibited the strand break significantly. The study indicate that M. esculenta mycelia protect mitochondria form oxidative stress and DNA from deleterious effects induced by radiation and has potential for the development of safe and non-toxic radio protector with significant nutritional properties.