Today, tomorrow, learn English naturally. 天天自然学英语
Mushroom Extract Shown to Dramatically Improve Brain-Cell Growth in The Lab
Fungi have attracted attention in recent years for their potential in aiding our brains' growth and functionality. And no, we're not just talking about the psychedelic ones.
The lion's mane mushroom, for one, has long had a reputation for various mental health benefits, with recent research supporting its potential in reducing risk for depression or limiting damage from Alzheimer's disease.
In a new study conducted by an international team of scientists, researchers identified compounds in the lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) – an edible fungus species also known as yamabushitake or hou tou gu – that could boost nerve growth and enhance memory.
"Extracts from these so-called lion's mane mushrooms have been used in traditional medicine in Asian countries for centuries, but we wanted to scientifically determine their potential effect on brain cells," says lead author Frédéric Meunier from the Queensland Brain Institute.
The researchers isolated a compound from the lion's mane mushroom known as N-de phenylethyl isohericerin, along with its hydrophobic derivative called hericene A, and tested their effects on cultured neurons from rat embryos.
The extracts had a "clear neurotrophic effect," they write, resulting in doubly long axons – the threadlike links that conduct impulses away from a neuron – and more than triple the number of neurites, or small projections from a neuron that can grow into fully functional axons or dendrites.
"Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured brain cells, and surprisingly we found that the active compounds promote neuron projections, extending and connecting to other neurons," Meunier says.
"Using super-resolution microscopy, we found the mushroom extract and its active components largely increase the size of growth cones," he adds, "which are particularly important for brain cells to sense their environment and establish new connections with other neurons in the brain."
Research has shown growth cones drive the development of axons, helping these crucial extensions branch out from one nerve cell and navigate to connect with a precise target cell.
The study also featured behavioral experiments on mice, designed to test how the fungal compounds affect the rodents' memory. The results suggest "dietary supplementation with H. erinaceus crude extract significantly enhanced recognition memory."
And apparently it doesn't take much to get this result – reducing concentrations of hericene A by a factor of 50 in the crude extract didn't seem to affect its influence over recognition memory.
Previous research on lion's mane mushrooms suggested their famous memory-boosting effect might occur because they promote neurogenesis, the researchers note, and this study seems to support that explanation.
"Our idea was to identify bioactive compounds from natural sources that could reach the brain and regulate the growth of neurons, resulting in improved memory formation," says co-author Ramon Martinez-Marmol, a research fellow with the Queensland Brain Institute.
Lion's mane mushrooms form white, shaggy spines that dangle in a cluster, vaguely resembling a beard or a lion's mane. They grow naturally on dead trees, with a native range spanning swaths of Asia, Europe, and North America, but are also widely cultivated.
The fungus has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, and a growing field of research is now validating some of the centuries-old claims of its health benefits. This study may reveal valuable details, but we also still have a lot to learn about what exactly these mushrooms can do.
Like many studies so far, this one relies on rodents to examine how the mushroom affects brain cells and function. That can yield useful insights, of course, but more research involving humans will be needed before scientists fully understand how the compounds affect our species.
In the meantime, this new study lends intriguing support to the already strong case that lion's mane mushrooms offer at least some kind of brain-boosting effects. Overall, the authors write, their findings suggest the compound hericene A acts as a "potent memory enhancer."
According to Dae Hee Lee from CNG Bio, a South Korea-based company that supported the research, this sheds new scientific light on an ancient tradition. And these insights could be especially relevant today, as many aging human populations contend with cognitive decline.
"This important research is unraveling the molecular mechanism of lion's mane mushroom compounds and their effects on brain function, particularly memory," Lee says.
The study was published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.
注释：
Fungi: n
表示“ 菌类；蘑菇 ”，means "the taxonomic kingdom including yeast, molds, smuts, mushrooms, and toadstools; distinct from the green plants “，如：The lawn was covered with fungi. 草地上到处都是蘑菇。
Psychedelic: n；adj
表示“ 迷幻药，迷幻的”，means "producing distorted sensory perceptions and feelings or altered states of awareness or sometimes states resembling psychosis; “，如：This is a psychedelic folk rock song and also my first original one. 这是一首迷幻民谣摇滚歌曲,也是我的第一首 原创作品。
Alzheimer's disease
表示“ 老年痴呆症 ”，如：We think Grandma may have Alzheimer's disease, and that make her forget more. 我们觉得奶奶可能得了老年痴呆症，这会使她更健忘。
Fungus: n
表示“ 真菌；”，如：My roses were suffering from fungus. 我的玫瑰受到真菌的侵害。
Yamabushi: n
表示“山伏(姓,日本) ”
Phenylethyl: n
表示“苯乙基 ”
Isohericerin
表示“ 猴头菇包含的一种生物活性成分” , 起到强效神经营养作用
Hydrophobic: adj
表示“ 疏水的”，means " tending to repel and not absorb water“，如：Methane is said to be hydrophobic. 甲烷被称为疏水的。
Derivative: n
表示“ 派生物”，means "sth coming from sth else “，如：‘Happiness' is a derivative of ‘happy'. happiness 是 happy 的派生词。
Hericene：n
表示“ 猴头菇包含的一种生物活性成分” , 起到强效神经营养作用
neuron：n
表示“ 神经元 ”，means "a cell that is specialized to conduct nerve impulses “，如：Impulse acts as a message sent through a neuron. 冲动相当于通过神经元传送的信息。
embryo: n.
表示“ 胚胎；萌芽 ”，means " the young of any creature in its state before it is born “，如：My plans are still very much in embryo. 我的计划在很大程度上仍在酝酿中。
Axon: n
表示“ 轴突”，means "long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron “，如：The axon must be able to withstand stretching. 轴突必须能经得住伸展。
Neurite: n
表示“ 神经突”，如：This allowed them to construct a blueprint of how the thousands of proteins work together to facilitate neurite formation.
最终他们就能得到一张关于数千个蛋白分子共同促进神经突形成的蓝图。
dendrite: n
表示“ 树突 ”，means " short fiber that conducts toward the cell body of the neuron“，如：Soma and dendrite of NOS neurons were similar in each group.
各组大鼠一氧化氮合酶阳性神经元的胞体和树突均相似。
Hericium: n
表示“猴头菌 ”，如：In the wild plant resources, there are precious Hericium wild, edible fungus, mushrooms and other fungi Microbiology. 在野生植物资源中，有珍贵的野生猴头、木耳、蘑菇等菌类微生物。
Erinaceus: n
表示“ 猬属 ”, 如：Hericium erinaceus has abundant nutritions which are essential to the health of man. 猴头菇富含人体需要的多种营养成分,具有较高的医疗价值。
Microscopy: n
表示“ 显微镜学 ”，means " research with the use of microscopes“，如：Her recent work in electron microscopy stimulated a new line of research. 她最近的工作，在电子显微镜学上开创了一个新的研究领域
Neurogenesis: n
表示“神经形成 ”，means "the development of nerve tissues “，如：Stimulating neurogenesis could also lead to a new type of treatment for depression. 刺激神经新生也可能是抑郁症的新型疗法。
Unraveling:
表示“ 解开”，means " disentangle“，如：he discovery will help scientists unravel the mystery of the Ice Age. 这一发现将有助于科学家揭开冰川时代的奥秘。
中文简要说明：
近年来，真菌提取物，在帮助大脑生长和功能方面的潜力而备受关注。不，这里讲的不是裸盖菇素的迷幻效果，而是其他更无害的，能当食材的猴头菇。
科学警报(Science Alert)报导，猴头菇(yamabushitake)又叫鬃狮菇，是一种可在市场上买到的食材，不过它也一直享有各种心理健康益处的声誉，最近的研究就支持它可以降低抑郁症、降低失智损害的潜力，有人称其为「菇中之王」。
由国际科学家团队所进行的一项新研究，研究人员确实发现了猴头菇的提取物有「补脑」的效果，可以促进脑神经生长，进而增强小鼠的记忆力。研究团队主持人，昆士兰大脑研究所(Queensland Brain Institute)的默尼耶(Frédéric Meunier)说：「几个世纪以来，亚洲的传统医学一直相信，猴头菇具有改善心智的疗效，但我们想用科学方法确定它们对脑细胞的影响。」
研究人员从猴头菇中分离出一种名为 N-de 苯乙基异香草素(N-de phenylethyl isohericerin,分子式 C19H25NO3)的化合物，被简称为「猴头菇素A」(hericene A)，提取之后，研究人员以大鼠为实验，测试对神经元的影响。
报告称，这些提取物具有「明显的神经正向营养作用」，神经元轴突加长，神经突触数量增加3倍，完全成长为功能建全的神经系统。默尼耶博士说：「使用超分辨率显微镜，我们发现蘑菇提取物及其活性成分，确实在很大程度上，增加了神经生长锥的大小，这对于大脑对环境的感知，以及大脑其他神经元建立新的联系尤为重要。」
研究也进行小鼠行为实验，也就是喂食猴头菇素是否对小鼠的记忆有效果，结果是正向的，似乎增强小鼠的识别记忆。而且效果蛮明显的且持欠的，即使日后喂食的猴头菇素，浓度已降低原本的50分之一，但是小鼠并没有出现记忆得而复失的问题。
研究人员指出，增强记忆力的作用，或许是促进了神经元的形成，并不会因为不继续食用而造成神经元衰退。这种真菌在中国传统医学中，一直有相当高度的评价，如今越来越多的研究也在验证它的效果，我们能够用现今的科学，来了解这些蘑菇的正向潜力。
据支持这项研究的韩国CNG Bio生技公司主管李丹浩(Dae Hee Lee) 说：「这项新发现在今天可能尤其重要，因为许多老龄化人口都因记忆力衰退而困扰，或许他们知道该吃什么。」
留言微信公众号《自然学英语LearnNaturally》，可咨询更多