Mitochondria and Vitamin ET: ergothioneine

Ergothioneine is all the rage currently and for good reason. Hailed as a new vitamin by non-other than anti-aging guru Bruce Ames and the subject of many papers in Nature. Ergothioneine is rapidly being monetised as production of synthetic supplies are patented and ramped up.

The fuss is, as expected, around the dementia epidemic fears especially as ergothioneine has shown neuro-protective effects. The molecule itself shows antioxidant properties and is able to scavenge hydroxyl radicals and mitigate the oxidative actions of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide.

So far so straight forward, another anti-oxidant ... and they always get a bit of good press. What is different about ET ( as we will now call it) is that a) animals and most plants cannot make it, and b) ET is actively transported into cells and organelles by a dedicated energy driven transporter ETT. The latter is always a sign that something is important.

ET is also actively conserved, that is to say it stays around for a long time in the cells and is barely excreted, another sign of being important. This is just as well as we must get ET from our diet but within our dietary choices ET is very unevenly distributed. Mushrooms (especially boletes) are the richest source followed by red and black beans. Carnivores have fewer problems as liver and kidney are rich in ET.

This article is, as is customary for me, a mitochondrial perspective on the subject.

It will come as no surprise to find that the ETT (the transporter) is at its highest concentration in the mitochondrion. In the same vein the greatest collateral damage from mitochondrial activity comes from superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide, against both which ET is effective. It looks, as it always does, that as oxidative demands increase in animal tissues ( eg brain, kidney, liver) so does the need for more mitochondria and thus so does the need to mitigate the damage caused. 

Again so far so straight forward but what strikes me as a bit weird is the role of fungi in the diet. 

Fungi provide ergosterol which is cholestero-genic ( ie we easily converted it to cholesterol), Vitamin D ( if exposed to sunlight) and now ‘Vitamin’ ET, all of which are highly prized and conserved features of the mitochondrion which has dedicated receptors for D and ET and relies on constant cholesterol levels for correct membrane-di-electric properties. In other words pretty vital all round.

Were fungi once symbionts? In any case, if the world is to move towards veganism, non animal  dietary supplies of cholesterol ( from fungi and olive oil) and vitamins D and ET will be critical for mitochondrial health. I would love to see data for vegans without access to beans, fungi and olive oil.
It shouldn’t work out for them. On the other hand the above list looks just like a typical vegan diet.