Antioxidants in Wild Mushrooms

Maintenance of equilibrium between free radical production and antioxidant defences (enzymatic and non enzymatic) is an essential condition for normal organism functioning. When this equilibrium has a tendency for the production of free radicals we say that the organism is in oxidative stress. In this situation, excess free radicals may damage cellular lipids, proteins and DNA, affecting normal function and leading to various diseases. In aerobic organisms, the free radicals are constantly produced during the normal cellular metabolism, mainly in the form of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS). Exposition of the organism to free radicals has led to the development of endogenous…