Fomitopsis officinalis: a Species of Arboreal Mushroom with Promising Biological and Medicinal Properties.

Medicinal mushrooms of the order Polyporales have a long history of use, which is evidenced by the finding of dissected fruiting bodies with Ötzi, who lived over 5000 years ago. Because of its valuable biological properties and its use in 18th and 19th-century pharmacy, Fomitopsis officinalis used to be mass-collected. Moreover, the large demand for larch wood and non-wood materials (resin) caused an excessive exploitation of larch forests, which directly contributed to the disappearance of F. officinalis from its natural environment. The qualities of medicinal preparations obtained from the F. officinalis fruiting bodies are determined by the unique composition of its bioactive compounds, such as: triterpenoids, polysaccharides, organic acids, coumarins and phenolic compounds. It has been proved that both crude extracts and the compounds isolated from F. officinalis have a wide spectrum of therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial effects.

α-Tocopherol supplementation and the oxidative stress, homocysteine, and antioxidants in lead exposure.

To investigate whether α-tocopherol supplementation in workers exposed to lead would reduce the oxidative stress intensity and decrease homocysteine level, the examined population was randomly divided into two groups. Workers in the first group (n = 49, reference group) were not administered any drugs. Workers in the second group (n = 34) were administered orally α-tocopherol, 200 mg per day for 12 weeks. The level of α-tocopherol significantly increased compared to the baseline and the reference group. The level of thiol groups significantly increased compared to the reference group. However, the levels of malondialdehyde and homocysteine did not significantly change. Animal studies suggest the ability of α-tocopherol administration to reverse adverse health effects of lead exposure, such as oxidative stress; however, the results of this study on humans do not confirm these protective effects.

The effects of α-tocopherol administration in chronically lead exposed workers.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether α-tocopherol supplementation for workers who are chronically exposed to lead would normalize/improve the values of parameters that are associated with the lead-induced oxidative stress. Study population included chronically lead exposed males who were divided into two groups. Workers in the first group (reference group) were not given any antioxidants, while workers in the second group (αT group) received supplementation with α-tocopherol. After treatment, the blood lead and leukocyte malondialdehyde levels decreased significantly in the αT group compared to the baseline levels and reference group. However, the erythrocyte malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, and lipofuscin levels significantly increased compared to the baseline levels. The glutathione level significantly increased compared with the baseline. Effects of supplementation with α-tocopherol on oxidative damage were not satisfactory. Therefore, there is no reason to administer α-tocopherol to workers chronically exposed to lead as a prophylaxis of lead poisoning.