Abstract
It is widely known that the genus Amanita includes various taxa: edible and inedible, dangerous and sometimes even deadly species. Despite the number of studies carried out on this genus, the toxicity of some species, such as the group of white fungi, remains dubious. Hence Amanita ovoidea (Bull.) Link. is considered as edible and even tasty both popularly and in some scientific publications, and as poisonous in others, having caused various cases of poisoning. This study stems from a case of poisoning by A. ovoidea in Siena (Italy). Tests were performed with the aim of finding a scientific answer regarding the real edibility or inedibility of A. ovoidea. Analyses included phytochemical screening, toxicological tests on human ex vivo peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and measurements of soil and mushroom pollution by heavy metals.
Highlights
Fungi can represent a good natural source of nutrition, being rich in proteins and low in fat, contributing to vitamin and mineral intake, and providing dietary fiber
The following experimental steps were carried out: phytochemical screening both to provide a more complete picture of the chemical composition of A. ovoidea and to confirm the presence of a non-protein amino acid, allenic norleucine; toxicological tests on human cell cultures to evaluate the amount of the alleged toxin in human blood lymphocytes and monocytes; analyses of soil and mushroom pollution by heavy metals, in order to observe their capacity for bioaccumulation and possibly relate the toxicity witnessed in this case to the presence of heavy metals
The very low presence of amino acids leads to the assumption that poisoning by allenic norleucine can be excluded and that at least one non amino acid-related toxin is responsible; the high mortality rate of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by cold extraction could be due to the thermolability of the toxins
Summary
Fungi can represent a good natural source of nutrition, being rich in proteins and low in fat, contributing to vitamin and mineral intake, and providing dietary fiber. The onset of digestive symptoms occurs between 8 to 14 hours after consumption This time lapse is considerably reduced (to a minimum of 30 minutes) when the carpophores are eaten raw, as frequently occurs with poorly cooked edible species of the Amanita genus [10], proving the additional effect of thermolabile toxins. The following experimental steps were carried out: phytochemical screening both to provide a more complete picture of the chemical composition of A. ovoidea and to confirm the presence of a non-protein amino acid, allenic norleucine; toxicological tests on human cell cultures to evaluate the amount of the alleged toxin in human blood lymphocytes and monocytes; analyses of soil and mushroom pollution by heavy metals, in order to observe their capacity for bioaccumulation and possibly relate the toxicity witnessed in this case to the presence of heavy metals
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