Ilgaz Akata

A Case Study: What Doses of Amanita phalloides and Amatoxins Are Lethal to Humans?

There are few data estimating the human lethal dose of amatoxins or of the toxin level present in ingested raw poisonous mushrooms. Here, we present a patient who intentionally ingested several wild collected mushrooms to assess whether they were poisonous. Nearly 1 day after ingestion, during which the patient had nausea and vomiting, he presented at the emergency department. His transaminase levels started to increase starting from hour 48 and peaking at hour 72 (alanine aminotransferase 2496 IU/L; aspartate aminotransferase 1777 IU/L). A toxin analysis was carried out on the mushrooms that the patient said he had ingested. With reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, an uptake of approximately 21.3 mg amatoxin from nearly 50 g mushroom was calculated; it consisted of 11.9 mg alpha amanitin, 8.4 mg beta amanitin, and 1 mg gamma amanitin. In the urine sample taken on day 4, 2.7 ng/mL alpha amanitin and 1.25 ng/mL beta amanitin were found, and there was no gamma amanitin. Our findings suggest that the patient ingested approximately 0.32 mg/kg amatoxin, and fortunately recovered after serious hepatotoxicity developed.

A Case Study: Rare Lepiota brunneoincarnata Poisoning

Amatoxin poisoning from the genus Lepiota may have a deadly outcome, although this is not seen as often as it is from the genus Amanita. In this report, we present a patient who was poisoned by a sublethal dose of Lepiota brunneoincarnata mushrooms. The patient was hospitalized 12 hours after eating the mushrooms. The patients transaminase levels increased dramatically starting on day 4. Aspartate transaminase peaked at 78 hours. Starting at 1265 IU/L, alanine transaminase peaked at 90 hours at 5124 IU/L. The patient was discharged on day 8 to outpatient care, and his transaminase levels returned to normal ranges in the subsequent days. A toxin analysis was carried out on the mushrooms that the patient claimed to have eaten. Using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, an uptake of approximately 19.9 mg of amatoxin from nearly 30 g of mushrooms was calculated. This consisted of 10.59 mg of α-amanitin, 9.18 mg of β-amanitin, and 0.16 mg of γ-amanitin. In conclusion, we present a patient from Turkey who was poisoned by L. brunneoincarnata mushrooms.

Ecological features of Tricholoma anatolicum in Turkey

Tricholoma anatolicum H.H. Dogan & Intini was first published as a new species in 2003, and it is known as “Katran Mantari” in Turkey. It has great importance in trading and is also exported to Japan. However, there is no extensive information on its ecological status. To reveal its features of ecological status, we studied eight different places in Turkey in the years of 2005 and 2009. According to our results, this species makes an ectomycorrhizal association with Cedrus libani trees. The distribution area of the species is Taurus Mountain between 1,400 and 1,700 m elevations from the Mediterranean region. The morphological features of the species are closer to Tricholoma magnivelare (Peck) Redhead than the other members of Matsutake group. Its characteristic features are white to cream-coloured fruiting body, a special odour like tar, different aroma and cyanophilic spores. In general, it grows on well-drained and infertile sandy soil in C. libani forests, which are more than 25 years old. The fruiting period is from October to November and also grows in Mediterranean climate type. Key words: Ectomycorrhizal fungi, Matsutake group, Mediterranean region, Tricholoma anatolicum, Turkey.

A new pollen-derived microcarrier for pantoprazole delivery

Plant-derived carriers have emerged as promising materials for drug encapsulation. Especially, sporopollenin microcapsules extracted from diverse pollen species have been proved to be effective drug carriers due to their biocompatibility, homogeneity in size, resistance to harsh chemical conditions and high thermal stability. Here in this study, sporopollenin microcapsules were isolated successfully from the pollens of a common tree (Corylus avellana, the European hazelnut) and used as a carrier for pantoprazole (PaNa) (a proton pump inhibitor). The drug entrapment efficiency was recorded as 29.81%. SEM micrographs clearly showed the drug was loaded into the microcapsules through the apertures of microcapsule and also some drugs were adsorbed on the surface of microcapsules. FT-IR spectra analysis confirmed the drug loading. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that thermal stability of PaNa was enhanced by encapsulation. In vitro release studies showed that PaNa-loaded sporopollenin microcapsules exhibited better release performance than the control. C. avellana sporopollenin microcapsules can make an efficient carrier for delivery of PaNa.

Toxin content and toxicological significance in different tissues and development stages of Lepiota brunneoincarnata mushroom

Abstract We investigated the quantity and concentration of toxins in different parts and in different growth phases of Lepiota brunneoincarnata mushroom. The amatoxins and phallotoxin levels were measured using the reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method. Alpha amanitin (2.38 ± 0.70 mg/g) was followed by beta amanitin (1.97 ± 0.52 mg/g) and gamma amanitin (0.04 ± 0.01 mg/g) in trace amounts; it did not contain any phallotoxin. The cap part is richer in amatoxins than the stipe part. While medium mushrooms were quite rich in amatoxins, less levels of toxin were measured in fully developed mushrooms. The study showed in detail the toxin concentrations of L. brunneoincarnata with regard to different developmental stages and different segments.

In vitro antimicrobial screening of Aquilaria agallocha roots

Background: It was previously shown that some parts of Aquilaria agallocha, which is commonly known as oud or oodh, such as roots have been used as a traditional medical herbal in different countries. In Turkey A. agallocha is one of the ingredients while preparing famous Mesir paste, which was invented as a medicinal paste and used from the Ottoman period to now at least for 500 years. The identification the in vitro antimicrobial activity of ethanol extract of A. agallocha roots is main purpose of this analysis. Materials and Methods: By using 17 bacteria and 1 fungi, which include Bacillus, Candida, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Listeria, Pseudomonas, Salmonella and Staphylococcus genera, the activity of A. agallocha root extracts were analysed by the help of the disk diffusion method, that is one of the methods commonly used to determine antimicrobial activities. Results: As a result of the study it was observed that ethanol extracts of A. agallocha roots have a clear antimicrobial activity against nearly all microorganism used in the study, but only two bacteria namely E. coli ATCC 25922 and S. typhimurium SL 1344. Conclusion: According to the disk diffusion test results it may be possible to propose that A. agallocha roots should have a medicinal uses especially against E. faecium, L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644, B. subtilis DSMZ 1971, C. albicans DSMZ 1386, S. epidermidis DSMZ 20044 and S. aureus ATCC 25923.

In vitro antimicrobial activity screening of Xylaria hypoxylon

Background: Fungi have a potential of using both as nutritive and medicinal food stuff. Because of containing several therapeutic agents, they are reported to be used for hundreds of years to treat several diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. The aim of this study is to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activity of Xylaria hypoxylon, which were collected from Yomra, Trabzon, Turkey. Materials and Methods: X. hypoxylon samples were air dried and extracted by using ethanol. Antimicrobial activity of X. hypoxylon ethanol extracts were investigated against 21 bacterial and 2 fungal strains, namely, Bacillus subtilis DSMZ 1971, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida albicans DSMZ 1386, Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 13048, Enterococcus durans, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Escherichia coli CFAI, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria innocula, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644, Pseudomonas aeruginosa DSMZ 50071, Pseudomonas fluorescence P1, Salmonella enteritidis ATCC 13075, Salmonella infantis, Salmonella kentucky, Salmonella typhimurium SL 1344, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Staphylococcus carnosus MC1.B, Staphylococcus epidermidis DSMZ 20044 and Streptococcus agalactiae DSMZ 6784 by using the disk diffusion method. Results: It is observed that ethanol extracts of X. hypoxylon has antimicrobial activity against several Gram positive and Gram negative microorganisms tested. As a result of the study, an antimicrobial activity of X. hypoxylon found against most of strains used in the study. Conclusion: The results of our study clearly puts forward that X. hypoxylon could have a possible medicinal use.

Pseudocolus fusiformis , an uncommon stinkhorn new to Turkish mycobiota

Pseudocolus fusiformis is the first representative of the genus to be recorded from Turkey. The species is characterized by basidiocarps with three apical arms that are distally fused and inner surfaces covered by a dark greenish mucoid gleba. A short description and macro- and microphotographs are provided.

Lepiota cristata does not contain amatoxins or phallotoxins

Abstract It is believed that Lepiota cristata is inedible and slightly poisonous, so it should always be avoided. This study analyzed the alpha, beta and gamma amanitin, phalloidin (PHN) and phallacidin (PCN) content of L. cristata collected from different regions of Turkey. Toxin levels have been assessed using a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) system with ultraviolet detectors. In this study, the L. cristata mushroom was not found to contain any amatoxins or phallotoxins. However, this finding does not mean that this mushroom is edible. New studies regarding the toxin content of L. cristata may be useful to understand the toxicity of this species.

Lentinus edodes, Lactarius delicious ve Ganoderma lucidum’un antibiyofilm ve antimikrobiyal etkinlikleri

Calismanin amaci: Bu calisma kapsaminda tibbi onemi olan uc makrofungus turunun [( Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing. (Shiitake), Lactarius deliciosus Fr. ve Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst.)] metanolik (%60) ve etanolik (%95) ozutlerinin Pseudomonas aeruginosa ve Salmonella Typhimurium’daki antibakteriyal ve biyofilm olusumunu engelleme (antibiyofilm) potansiyelleri arastirilmistir. Materyal ve Yontem: Antimikrobiyal aktivitelerin degerlendirilmesinde standart agar kuyu difuzyon, minimum inhibisyon konsantrasyon (MIK) ve minimum bakterisidal konsantrasyon (MBK) testleri kullanilmistir. Makrofungus ozutlerinin biyofilm olusumu uzerine (antibiyofilm) olan etkilerinin degerlendirmesinde kristal viyole baglanma yontemi esas alinmistir. Temel sonuclar: Makrofungus orneklerinin yalnizca metanolik ozutlerinde antimikrobiyal etkinlik saptanmistir. Antibiyofilm aktivite degerlendirmesindeyse en yuksek aktivite G . lucidum ’da gorulmustur. Arastirma vurgulari: Elde edilen bulgular, dogal antimikrobiyal ajanlarin arastirilmasinda siklikla tercih edilen tibbi makrofungus turlerinin, biyofilmlerle mucadele arastirmalarinda da yuksek potansiyel icermelerinden oturu tercih edilebileceklerini kanitlar mahiyettedir.Aim of study: In this study, the antimicrobial and antibiofilm potentials of methanolic (60%) and ethanolic (95%) extracts of three medicinal macrofungi species [(Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing. (Shiitake), Lactarius deliciosus Fr., and Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst.)] on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella Typhimurium were investigated. Material and Methods: Standart agar well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration tests were performed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities. The effects of macrofungi extracts on biofilm formation (antibiofilm) were evaluated based on crystal violet binding