Wild growing mushrooms are a rich source of novel proteins with unique features. We have isolated and characterized trypsin inhibitors from two edible mushrooms, the honey fungus (Armillaria mellea) and the parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera), and from the poisonous death cap (Amanita phalloides). The trypsin inhibitors isolated: armespin, macrospin and amphaspin, have similar molecular mas...

a-Amanitin, a toxic substance from the mushroom Amanita phalloides, is a potent inhibitor of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (the nucleoplasmic form) from sea urchin, rat liver, and calf thymus. This compound exerts no effect on the activity of polymerase I (nucleolar form) or polymerase III (also nucleoplasmic). The inhibition is due to a specific interaction with polymerase II or with a compl...

The aim of our study was to evaluate the severity of hepatic and kidney damage with a focus on their reversibility, and to analyze the prognostic factors following Amanita phalloides poisoning based on calls made to the Czech Toxicological Information Centre. A variety of clinical and laboratory parameters were collected. Student's t-test and Fisher's test were used for statistical analysis. Am...

On December 5th of 2006 a 72 year old, otherwise healthy man from Asian descent, was admitted to the emergency department of a hospital in central Switzerland with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. History revealed ingestion of a freshly picked mushroom 24 hours previously. Urine tested positive on α-amanitin. He was started on therapy with activated charcoal, N-acetylcysteine and silibinin. D...

Evidence has been presented that a amanitin, the potent bicyclic polypeptide toxin of the toad­ stool amanita phalloides inhibits transcription by purified RNA polymerase from rat liver nuclei. This inhibition is highly specific for the mammalian enzyme, since it does not impede the same reaction catalyzed by the enzyme from E. coli thus rendering an interaction between the template and inhibit...

Alpha amanitin and phalloidin are powerful hepatotoxins that belong to the main classes of toxins namely, amatoxins and phallotoxins, isolated from the deadly poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides. It is well known that disruptions of antioxidant enzyme defense that include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase lead to generation of reactive oxygen species, followed by in...

Background: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency of the childhood. Its diagnosis is really challenging. A constellation of through history taking, physical examination, radiographic investigations, and laboratory analysis should be used to balance the risk of delayed operative intervention against the removal of a normal appendix. Here a case with misdiagnosis of acute app...