Antioxidant effect of ergothioneine on in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes.

BACKGROUND: Ergothioneine (EGT) is a natural amino acid derivative in various animal organs and is a bioactive compound recognized as a food and medicine. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of EGT supplementation during the in vitro maturation (IVM) period on porcine oocyte maturation and subsequent embryonic development competence after in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHODS: Each EGT concentration (0, 10, 50, and 100 µM) was supplemented in the maturation medium during IVM. After IVM, nuclear maturation, intracellular glutathione (GSH), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels of oocytes were investigated. In addition, the genes related to cumulus function and antioxidant pathways in oocytes or cumulus cells were investigated. Finally, this study examined whether EGT could affect embryonic development after IVF. RESULTS: After IVM, the EGT supplementation group showed significantly higher intracellular GSH levels and significantly lower intracellular ROS levels than the control group. Moreover, the expression levels of hyaluronan synthase 2 and Connexin 43 were significantly higher in the 10 µM EGT group than in the control group. The expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) were significantly higher in the oocytes of the 10 µM EGT group than in the control group. In the assessment of subsequent embryonic development after IVF, the 10 µM EGT treatment group improved the cleavage and blastocyst rate significantly than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation of EGT improved oocyte maturation and embryonic development by reducing oxidative stress in IVM oocytes.

On the Identification and Quantification of Ergothioneine and Lovastatin in Various Mushroom Species: Assets and Challenges of Different Analytical Approaches.

In recent years, mushrooms have drawn the attention of agro-industries and food-industries as they were considered to be valuable natural sources of health promoting compounds such as ß-glucans, ergothioneine, and lovastatin. The detection and quantification of such compounds by implementing reliable analytical approaches is of the utmost importance in order to adjust mushrooms' cultivation conditions and maximize the production in different species. Toward this direction, the current study focuses on the comparison of ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods (a) by evaluating the content of ergothioneine and lovastatin in mushrooms and (b) by highlighting any possible substrate-based interferences that hinder the accurate determination of these two compounds in order to propose the technique-of-choice for a standardized bioactive compounds monitoring. For this purpose, mushrooms produced by three species (i.e., Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus, and P. citrinopileatus) on various cultivation substrates, namely wheat straw (WS), winery (grape marc (GM)), and olive oil (OL) by-products, were examined. Among the two applied techniques, the developed and validated LC-MS methods, exhibiting relatively short analysis time and higher resolution, emerge as the methods-of-choice for detecting ergothioneine and lovastatin in mushrooms. On the contrary, UV-Vis methods were hindered due to co-absorbance of different constituents, resulting in invalid results. Among the studied mushrooms, P. citrinopileatus contained the highest amount of ergothioneine (822.1 ± 20.6 mg kg-1 dry sample), whereas A. bisporus contained the highest amounts of lovastatin (1.39 ± 0.014 mg kg-1 dry sample). Regarding the effect of different cultivation substrates, mushrooms produced on OL and WS contained the highest amount of ergothioneine, while mushrooms deriving from GM-based substrates contained the highest amount of lovastatin.

Preparative isolation of highly polar free radical inhibitor from Floccularia luteovirens using hydrophilic interaction chromatography directed by on-line HPLC-DPPH assay.

Wild edible macro fungi Floccularia luteovirens proved to be a valuable source for the identification of novel lead molecules with therapeutic potential. Nevertheless, the chemical constituents of Floccularia luteovirens are rarely reported due to absence of efficient purification methods. In this study, a hydrophilic interaction chromatography directed by on-line HPLC-DPPH assay has been developed and successfully applied for the isolation of free radical inhibitor from the methanolic extract of Floccularia luteovirens. Using a hydrophilic interaction chromatographic column coupled with the HPLC-DPPH assay for screening the potential radical scavengers, the mid-pressure hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) proved to be more efficient in the pretreatment stage, yielding the fraction rich in free radical scavengers in good yield (5.9% recovery from 130.0 g of fresh F. luteovirens). From highly potent fraction, the target compound was isolated using the Click XION preparative chromatography with 17.2% recovery. The isolated compound was L-(+)-ergothioneine, where the purity (>95%) and antioxidant activity of were confirmed by chromatography and HPLC-DPPH assay, while the structure of this compound was elucidated from HR ESI-MS and NMR data. This method proved to be very efficient for the recognition and isolation of highly polar free radical inhibitors from fungi extracts, and is also applicable for the purification of highly polar compounds from other sources.

Impaired antioxidant capacity causes a disruption of metabolic homeostasis in sickle erythrocytes.

This study examined particularly relevant redox pathways such as glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), metHb reductase and nucleotide metabolism, in order to better address how sickle cells deal with redox metabolism disruption. We also investigated the generation of specific oxidative lesions, and the levels of an unexplored antioxidant that could act as a candidate biomarker for oxidative status in sickle cell anemia (SCA). We adopted rigorous exclusion criteria to obtain the studied groups, which were composed by 10 subjects without hemoglobinopathies and 10 SCA patients. We confirmed that sickle cells overwhelm the antioxidant defense system, leading to an impaired antioxidant capacity that significantly contributed to the increase in cholesterol oxidation (ChAld) and hemolysis. Among the antioxidants evaluated, ergothioneine levels decreased in SCA (two-fold). We found strong correlations of ergothioneine levels with other erythrocyte metabolism markers, suggesting its use as an antioxidant therapy alternative for SCA treatment. Moreover, we found higher activities of MetHb reductase, AChE, G6PDH, HXK, and LDH, as well as levels of NADPH, ATP and hypoxanthine in sickle cells. On this basis, we conclude that impaired antioxidant capacity leaves to a loss of glycolysis and PPP shifting mechanism control and further homeostasis rupture, contributing to a decreased lifespan of sickle cells.

Composition of Mycelia and Basidiomata of the Culinary-Medicinal Golden Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus citrinopileatus (Agaricomycetes) by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used to obtain the profile of soluble metabolites on fungus. To enhance the ergothioneine content in Pleurotus citrinopileatus mycelium, amino acid precursors were used for submerged fermentation. The study aimed to analyze the metabolites of high-ergothioneine and regular P. citrinopileatus mycelia (HEPM and RPM) and P. citrinopileatus basidiomata (PCB) using NMR spectroscopy. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to differentiate and to describe the differences among three sets of metabolites. The results showed that 55 water-soluble metabolites of PCB, HEPM, and RPM were identified and classified into five groups including amino acids, carbohydrates, organic acids, purines and pyrimidines, and others. Contents of total soluble metabolites were in descending order as follows: PCB (135 mg/g) > HEPM (58 mg/g) > RPM (44 mg/g). The score plot and loading plot separated using PCA showed that the first two components were responsible for R2X = 97.1% and the variance [R2X(1) = 74% for principal component PC1 and R2X(2) = 23.1% for PC2]. A metabolic pathway map of P. citrinopileatus mycelium was established and the differences in the metabolites of RPM and HEPM with precursors added were illuminated.

Estimation of Age of Bloodstains by Mass-Spectrometry: A Metabolomic Approach.

Bloodstains are common evidence in crime scenes, containing significant information, including genetic information. Although efforts have been made to reliably determine the time of incident by analyzing the elapsed time of the bloodstain, there has been limited success. To identify candidate metabolites in bloodstains over time, we prepared bloodstain samples using filter paper and analyzed the metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS)/MS over a 21-day period. Using Venn diagrams and by multivariate analysis, we selected 62 candidate molecular features. We found by partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) that the group can be classified with an accuracy of 75.0%, and the R2 and Q2 values were 0.7513 and 0.6998, respectively. Five metabolites were successfully identified based on candidate molecular features. The level of two metabolites, l-tryptophan and ergothioneine, decreased with time. The concentration of candidate metabolites that we propose reliably increased or decreased with time, thus, enabling the measurement of elapsed time of the bloodstain. This study is the first to identify markers used to analyze the elapsed time of bloodstains through metabolomics analysis.

A Retrospective Study in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: Diabetic Risk Factor Response to Daily Consumption of Agaricus bisporus (White Button Mushrooms).

Adults with metabolic syndrome from different race/ethnicities are often predisposed to developing type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, growing evidence suggests that healthy diets and lifestyle choices can significantly slow or prevent progression to T2D. This poorly understood relationship to healthy dietary patterns and prevention of T2D motivated us to conduct a retrospective analysis to determine the potential impact of a minor dietary lifestyle change (daily mushroom consumption) on known T2D risk factors in racially diverse adults with confirmed features of the metabolic syndrome. Retrospectively, we studied 37 subjects who had participated in a dietary intervention focused on vitamin D bioavailability from white button mushrooms (WBM). All 37 had previously completed a 16-week study where they consumed 100 g of WBM daily and were then followed-up for one month during which no mushrooms were consumed. We analyzed differences in serum risk factors from baseline to 16-week, and from baseline to one-month follow-up. Measurement of serum diabetic risk factors included inflammatory and oxidative stress markers and the antioxidant component naturally rich in mushrooms, ergothioneine. Significant beneficial health effects were observed at 16-week with the doubling of ergothioneine from baseline, increases in the antioxidant marker ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) and anti-inflammatory hormone, adiponectin and significant decreases in serum oxidative stress inducing factors, carboxymethyllysine (CML) and methylglyoxal (MG), but no change in the lipid oxidative stress marker 8-isoprostane, leptin or measures of insulin resistance or glucose metabolism. We conclude that WBM contain a variety of compounds with potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits that can occur with frequent consumption over time in adults predisposed to T2D. Well-controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings and identify the specific mushroom components beneficial to health.

Validation of a HILIC Method for the Analysis of Ergothioneine in Fermentation Broth.

A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography method has been established for the quantification of ergothioneine (EGT) in fermentation broth. Chromatographic separation was conducted on a Venusil hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) at an elution rate of 1.0 mL/min with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/20 mmol/L ammonium acetate solution (85 : 15, v/v) adjusted to pH 6.0 with acetic acid. Analytes were detected at 254 nm using a UV-VIS detector. The injection volume was 10 µL, and the column temperature was 40°C. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were 63 and 21 µg/L, respectively. Excellent linearity [correlation coefficient (R(2)) = 0.9999] was achieved for EGT quantification in the range of 5-400 mg/L. The relative standard deviations of repeatability, intermediate precision and stability were 1.47, 1.03 and 1.66%, respectively, and EGT recoveries were within 99.2-100.8%. The chromatographic peak corresponding to EGT in the HILIC spectrum was confirmed using ESI-MS. In general, the method developed here is simple, reliable, accurate, and stable and may be useful for routine analyses in EGT biosynthesis research.

Ergothioneine Maintains Redox and Bioenergetic Homeostasis Essential for Drug Susceptibility and Virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The mechanisms by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) maintains metabolic equilibrium to survive during infection and upon exposure to antimycobacterial drugs are poorly characterized. Ergothioneine (EGT) and mycothiol (MSH) are the major redox buffers present in Mtb, but the contribution of EGT to Mtb redox homeostasis and virulence remains unknown. We report that Mtb WhiB3, a 4Fe-4S redox sensor protein, regulates EGT production and maintains bioenergetic homeostasis. We show that central carbon metabolism and lipid precursors regulate EGT production and that EGT modulates drug sensitivity. Notably, EGT and MSH are both essential for redox and bioenergetic homeostasis. Transcriptomic analyses of EGT and MSH mutants indicate overlapping but distinct functions of EGT and MSH. Last, we show that EGT is critical for Mtb survival in both macrophages and mice. This study has uncovered a dynamic balance between Mtb redox and bioenergetic homeostasis, which critically influences Mtb drug susceptibility and pathogenicity.

Submerged Cultivation of Mycelium with High Ergothioneine Content from the Culinary-Medicinal Golden Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus citrinopileatus (Higher Basidiomycetes).

The optimization of submerged culture of the culinary-medicinal golden oyster mushroom, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, was studied using a one-factor-at-a-time, two-stage stimulation and central composite rotatable design to produce mycelia with high ergothioneine content. The optimal culture conditions for mycelia harvested at day 22 were a temperature of 25°C, an inoculation ratio of 5%, 2% glucose, 0.5% yeast extract, and adjustment of the initial pH value to 10. The biomass and ergothioneine content were 8.28 g/L and 10.65 mg/g dry weight (dw), respectively. The addition of an amino acid precursor increased the ergothioneine content of mycelia; cysteine was the most effective. In addition, the results obtained from central composite rotatable design showed that the recommended combination for cysteine, histidine, and methionine was 8, 4, and 0.5 mmol/L, respectively. The predicted ergothioneine content was 13.90 mg/g dw, whereas the experimental maximal ergothioneine content was 14.57 mg/g dw. With the addition of complex precursors and under optimal culture conditions, mycelia harvested at days 16-20 had higher ergothioneine content. Accordingly, the information obtained could be used to produce mycelia with high ergothioneine content.

Effect of UV-B Irradiation on Physiologically Active Substance Content and Antioxidant Properties of the Medicinal Caterpillar Fungus Cordyceps militaris (Ascomycetes).

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light irradiation is a well-known technique for converting vitamin D2 from ergosterol in mushroom fruit bodies. Mushrooms are a natural and nonanimal food source of vitamin D2. We studied the effect of UV-B light irradiation on the amount of vitamin D2 and physiologically active substances in Cordyceps militaris and their antioxidant properties. After UV-B irradiation for 2 hours, the vitamin D2 content of freshly harvested C. militaris fruiting bodies, mycelia, whole submerged culture (WSC), and homogenized submerged culture (HSC) increased from 0 to 0.03 to 0.22 to 1.11 mg/g, but the ergosterol content was reduced from 1.36 to 2.50 to 1.24 to 2.06 mg/g, respectively. After UV-B irradiation, the amount of adenosine, cordycepin, and ergothioneine of fruiting bodies dramatically increased 32-128%, but the polysaccharide content slightly decreased 36%. The reverse trends were observed in mycelia, WSC, and HSC. UV-B irradiation could reduce the effective concentrations at 50% of fruiting bodies for ethanolic and hot water extracts in reducing power, scavenging, and chelating abilities, whereas mycelia, WSC, and HSC of ethanolic extracts increased effective concentrations at 50% in reducing power, scavenging, and chelating abilities. UV-B irradiation slightly increased flavonoid content (10-56%) and slightly affected total phenol content.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatographic determination of L-ergothioneine in commercially available classes of cow milk.

A new efficient and sensitive precolumn hydrophilic interaction ultra-performance liquid chromatography (HILIC-UPLC) method was established for the quantitative determination of L-ergothioneine (ERT) in milk. After derivatization of ERT with 7-diethylamino-3-[4-(iodoacetamido)phenyl]-4-methylcoumarin, chromatographic separation was achieved in a fairly short time, less than 5 min, on a 100 × 2.1 mm Waters Cortecs UPLC HILIC 1.6-µm column, by using a mixture of 30 mmol/L ammonium acetate/acetonitrile (10:90, v/v) as a mobile phase flowing isocratically at 0.9 mL/min. Limit of detection and the limit of quantification were 0.03 and 0.10 µmol/L, respectively. The method exhibited linearity in a concentration range of 0.16 and 5.08 µmol/L. Mean recovery was 106.66%, whereas intra- and interassay precisions were determined to be within 6 RSD%. On average, ERT concentration in different commercially available classes of cow milk was found to be 0.442 ± 0.191 µmol/L, with the highest levels in the ultra-high temperature milks and low values in the unprocessed and HTST whole milks. In this light, our experiments suggest that ERT could be used as a marker for the heat treatment of milk.

Quantification of L-ergothioneine in human plasma and erythrocytes by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A sensitive analytical method has been developed and validated for the quantification of L-ergothioneine in human plasma and erythrocytes by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A commercially available isotope-labeled L-ergothioneine-d9 is used as the internal standard. A simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile is utilized for bio-sample preparation prior to analysis. Chromatographic separation of L-ergothioneine is conducted using gradient elution on Alltime C18 (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 5 µ). The run time is 6 min at a constant flow rate of 0.45 ml/min. The mass spectrometer is operated under a positive electrospray ionization condition with multiple reaction monitoring mode. The mass transitions of L-ergothioneine and L-ergothioneine-d9 are m/z 230 > 127 and m/z 239 > 127, respectively. Excellent linearity [coefficient of determination (r(2)) ≥ 0.9998] can be achieved for L-ergothioneine quantification at the ranges of 10 to 10,000 ng/ml, with the intra-day and inter-day precisions at 0.9-3.9% and 1.3-5.7%, respectively, and the accuracies for all quality control samples between 94.5 and 101.0%. This validated analytical method is suitable for pharmacokinetic monitoring of L-ergothioneine in human and erythrocytes. Based on the determination of bio-samples from five healthy subjects, the mean concentrations of L-ergothioneine in plasma and erythrocytes are 107.4 ± 20.5 ng/ml and 1285.0 ± 1363.0 ng/ml, respectively.

A rapid HPLC post-column reaction analysis for the quantification of ergothioneine in edible mushrooms and in animals fed a diet supplemented with extracts from the processing waste of cultivated mushrooms.

For establishing an efficient and sensitive method for the quantitative determination of 2-thiol-l-histidine-betaine (ergothioneine, ERG) in edible mushrooms and the blood and muscles of animals, a technique using reversed-phase separation and post-column reaction between 2'-dipyridyl disulphide and ERG was developed. A corresponding derivative 2-thiopyridone, detected at 343 nm, was used for estimating ERG concentration. The flow rate, temperature, pH, and composition of the solution were optimised. A low limit of quantification (1.41 ppm) and a simpler sample preparation made this technique more rapid compared to other methods using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The coefficient of variation (CV) values for the reproducibility and recovery of ERG were within the acceptable values of 6% and 97.5-100.0%, respectively. The efficiency of this methodology was compared with that of spectrophotometric and mass-spectrometric quantitative methods, and was assessed in the light of previous studies. The ERG contents in different mushrooms were 12.69-234.85 mg/kg wet weight basis. Dietary supplementation with extracts from mushroom processing waste significantly improved ERG bioavailability in the blood of yellowtail fish and muscle tissue of cattle.

Edible mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) extract inhibits melanosis in Kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus).

This study compared the potential of an aqueous extract of an edible mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) to prevent melanosis in cultured Kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus) with other antimelanosic compounds in vivo. The mushroom extract contained 9.1 mg/mL ergothioneine (ESH). Immersion of live full-grown shrimp in a 0.5% w/v solution of mushroom extract significantly reduced PPO activity in shrimp hemolymph. In addition, expression of the prophenoloxidase (proPO) gene decreased in hemocytes, suggesting that the extract blocked the activation of the proPO cascade. Consequently, the development of melanosis in the treated shrimp was significantly suppressed during ice storage. Treatment with a 0.05% w/v solution of sodium ascorbate and 4-hexyl-1,3-benzenediol had the same effect. In vitro experiments showed that ESH effectively inhibited PPO activity and activation of the proPO cascade in hemocyte lysate supernatant. This study suggests that in vivo application of F. velutipes mushroom extract is an effective natural alternative to synthetic antimelanosic agents to inhibit postmortem melanosis in shrimp. Practical Application: The extract of an edible mushroom (F. velutipes) containing ergothioneine can be a promising natural alternative to synthetic antimelanosic agents used to prevent postharvest melanosis in shrimp and other crustaceans. Furthermore, utilization of the mushroom trimmings could also help address the growing concerns on the disposal of such agricultural wastes and instead use it into a novel purpose as a source of antimelanosic and antioxidants for food and industrial application.

Imidazole-based erythrocyte markers of oxidative stress in preeclampsia--an NMR investigation.

Using (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and statistical models, we sought to identify ''biomarkers'' present in erythrocytes that would distinguish between women with normal pregnancy and those suffering from preeclampsia, and investigate possible links with previously identified plasma ''markers.'' Erythrocytes from 22 normotensive pregnant women and 15 preeclamptics were analyzed by (1)H Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) NMR. Multivariate analysis and logistic regression were applied to differentiate between the 2 groups of patients, and used to develop a diagnostic model based on the concentrations of the constituents identified as being influential. Significantly higher concentrations of alanine (P < .001), glycine (P = .025), and ergothioneine (P = .049) were found in erythrocytes from preeclamptic patients. Discriminant analysis and regression of NMR data permitted 100% accurate diagnosis of the health status of new patients. Chemically related imidazole-based molecules, histidine and ergothioneine, are important in the classification process and the etiology of preeclampsia (PE).

Antioxidative activities of mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) extract added to bigeye tuna meat: dose-dependent efficacy and comparison with other biological antioxidants.

The ability of a hydrophilic extract prepared from edible mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) to stabilize fresh color of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) meat was evaluated to compare it with certain other antioxidants. The fresh color shelf life of bigeye tuna meats, to which were added as 1, 3, or 5 mL of mushroom extract to 100 g of minced bigeye tuna meat, prolonged duration of ice storage by more than 2, 4, and 6 d, respectively, in comparison with the control tuna meat without mushroom extract. The addition of 5 mL of mushroom extract to 100 g of minced bigeye tuna meat was more effective than adding ascorbic acid sodium salt (500 ppm) or alpha-tocopherol (500 ppm) with regard to oxidation of lipid in the tuna meat. The color changes significantly correlated with lipid oxidation as well as metmyoglobin formation in the tuna meat. These results clearly show that the mushroom extract is a potential antioxidant, which has the ability to stabilize fresh color of tuna meat during ice storage.

Dietary sources and antioxidant effects of ergothioneine.

Ergothioneine is a native membrane-impermeable thiol compound that is specifically accumulated in cells via the organic cation transporter OCTN1. In humans, OCTN1 and ergothioneine have been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. However, available evidence about dietary sources and the functional role of ergothioneine in human physiology is scarce. Here, we analyzed the ergothioneine content in common foods using liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. Additionally, we assessed the protective potency of ergothioneine against various oxidative stressors in OCTN1-expressing cells in comparison with the main intracellular thiol antioxidant glutathione by evaluating cell viability with the MTT reduction assay. Only some food contained ergothioneine with highest concentrations detected in specialty mushrooms, kidney, liver, black and red beans, and oat bran. Ergothioneine exhibited cell protection only against copper(II)-induced toxicity but was far less potent than glutathione, indicting that ergothioneine is not involved in the intracellular antioxidant thiol defense system.

L-ergothioneine modulates oxidative damage in the kidney and liver of rats in vivo: studies upon the profile of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: L-ergothioneine is a fungal metabolite exhibiting antioxidant functions in cells. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of oral administration of L-ergothioneine on the oxidative damage in vivo caused by the Fenton reagent ferric-nitrilotriacetate. METHODS: Rats were supplemented with L-ergo prior to the administration of acute dose of ferric-nitrilotriacetate. Kidney and liver levels of L-ergothioneine, glutathione, alpha-tocopherol, polyunsaturated fatty acids and conjugated dienes were assessed. RESULTS: Oral administration of 70 mg L-ergo/kg body weight of rats for 7 days prior to the injection of ferric-nitrilotriacetate protected the fatty acids against oxidation, with notable protections directed to: 20:5 (eicosapentaenoic acid) (23%), 22:6 (docosahexaenoinic acid) (30%), 20:3 n6 (eicosatrienoic acid) (22%), 20:4 (arachidonic acid) (25%), 18:2 linoleic acid (25%) and 18:1 oleic acid (14%) in the kidney. The protection of 20:5, 20:3 n6 and 18:1 in the liver by 32%, 20% and 11%, respectively, were statistically significant. L-ergothioneine significantly reduced kidney and liver levels of conjugated dienes and conserved the concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and glutathione in the kidney and liver in the ferric-nitrilotriacetate/L-ergothioneine treated rats. CONCLUSION: Supplementation with L-ergothioneine not only protects the organs against the lipid peroxidation but conserves the consumption of endogenous glutathione and alpha-tocopherol. However consumption of mushrooms may have better promise as dietary sources of L-ergothioneine to humans.