Both common and specialty mushrooms inhibit adhesion molecule expression and in vitro binding of monocytes to human aortic endothelial cells in a pro-inflammatory environment

Keith R Martin

doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-29

Abstract

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in the United States as well as globally. Epidemiological studies show that regular fruit and vegetable consumption reduces CVD risk, in part, due to antioxidant activity and immunomodulation since oxidative stress and inflammation are features of atherogenesis. Accumulating evidence also shows that dietary fungi, viz., mushrooms, can protect against chronic disease by altering inflammatory environments such as those associated with CVD although most research has focused on specialty mushrooms. In this study, we tested the ability of both common and specialty mushrooms to inhibit cellular processes associated with CVD.MethodsHuman aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) were incubated overnight with control media with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) vehicle (1% v/v) or containing DMSO extracts of whole dehydrated mushrooms (0.1 mg/mL), which included Agaricus bisporus (white button and crimini), Lentinula edodes (shiitake), Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster), and Grifola frondosa (maitake). Monolayers were subsequently washed and incubated with medium alone or containing the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β (5 ng/mL) for 6 h to upregulate pro-atherosclerotic adhesion molecules (AM). AM expression was assayed by ELISA and binding of U937 human monocytes pre-loaded with fluorescent dye was determined.ResultsWhite button mushrooms consistently reduced (p < 0.05) VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and E-selectin-1 expression, whereas other test mushrooms significantly modulated AM expression singly, collectively, or combinatorially. All mushrooms, however, significantly reduced binding of monocytes to both quiescent and cytokine-stimulated monolayers.ConclusionThese data provide evidence that dietary mushrooms can inhibit cellular processes such as adhesion molecule expression and ultimate binding of monocytes to the endothelium under pro-inflammatory conditions, which are associated with CVD. As a result, these findings support the notion that dietary mushrooms can be protective against CVD.

Highlights

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in the United States as well as globally
We first analyzed the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) after pre-incubation with medium alone or containing mushroom powder
There were no differences between stimulated DMSO vehicletreated cells and stimulated cells incubated with medium alone

Summary

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in the United States as well as globally. Epidemiological studies show that regular consumption of plants, i.e., fruits and vegetables, is strongly and convincingly associated with a reduced risk of chronic disease including CVD [2,3] This protection presumably occurs due to a plethora of bioactive phytochemicals that can modulate processes including the immune response, inflammation and antioxidant activity [4,5]. Dietary mushrooms have been shown in previous studies to improve cardiovascular health, stimulate immune function, contribute to glucose homeostasis, and to modulate detoxification, as well as exert antiallergic, anti-tumor, anti-viral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activities [5,8,9,10] As a result, both cellular components and secondary metabolites of myriad dietary mushrooms have been used in treatment for a variety of diseases [11]. The white button mushroom is the most frequently consumed mushroom in the United States and could be effective in preventing or slowing CVD [10]

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