Ameliorative effects of morel mushroom (Morchella esculenta) against Cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity in adult male rats

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the major toxicants, which affects human health through occupational and environmental exposure. In the current study, we evaluated the protective effects of morel mushrooms against Cd-induced reproductive damages in rats. For this purpose, 30 male rats were divided into 6 groups (n=5/group), the first group served as the control group, second group was treated with an intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of 1 mg/kg/day of Cd. Third and fourth groups were co-treated with 1 mg/kg/day of Cd (i.p) and 10 and 20 mg/kg/day of morel mushroom extract (orally) respectively. The final 2 groups received oral gavage of 10 and 20 mg/kg/day of morel mushroom extract alone. After treatment for 17 days, the animals were euthanized, and testes and epididymis were dissected out. One testis and epididymis of each animal were processed for histology, while the other testis and epididymis were used for daily sperm production (DSP) and comet assay. Our results showed that Cd and morel mushrooms have no effect on animal weight, but Cd significantly decreases the DSP count and damages the heritable DNA which is reversed in co-treatment groups. Similarly, the histopathological results of testes and epididymis show that morel mushrooms control the damage to these tissues. Whereas the morel mushroom extract alone could enhance the production of testosterone. These results conclude that morel mushrooms not only control the damage done by Cd, but it could also be used as a protection mechanism for heritable DNA damage.

Antioxidant Potentials of morel mushroom (Morchella conica Pers.) from Nepal

Oxidative stress contributes to the aging process and raises the risk of several chronic diseases. In recent years, natural antioxidants are being explored intensively for their ability to protect organisms and cells from oxidative stress-induced harm. Furthermore, mushrooms are widely used as a source of natural therapies for a variety of ailments caused by oxidative stress. In this study antioxidant activities of Morchella conica Pers. extracts obtained with methanol were investigated. This is supposed to be the first report of the antioxidant activity of morel mushroom from Nepal. Five complimentary test systems; namely DPPH free radical scavenging, total phenolic compounds, total flavonoid, ascorbic acid, and carotenoid concentration were used. At concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg/ml the methanol extracts scavenged 69, 69, 70, 68 and 81% DPPH radicals. The total phenolic content of the extracts was 4.304±0.12 mg/g gallic acid equivalent. The total flavonoid compound concentration was measured as 0.381±0.00 mg/g quercetin equivalent. The concentrations of ascorbic acid were recorded 19±0.02 mg/g dry sample. β-carotene and lycopene detected in the extract of M. conica are 0.020±0.001 and 0.021±0.002 μg/ml respectively. Finally, the findings of this study demonstrated that M. conica has a high antioxidant activity, making it potentially effective in antioxidant therapy and therapeutic intervention in oxidative stress-related disorders.