On the Relationship of Glutathione Reductase to Mushroom Poisoning

Abstract

Summary

The effects of two purified mushroom poisons, α-amanitin and phalloidin, on glutathione-reducing enzyme systems were investigated to determine if the decrease stability of glutathione and the pathological changes reported for erythrocytes of persons poisoned with mushrooms might result from inhibition of glutathione reductase by these cyclic sulfur-containing peptides. The poisons at levels up to 5 × 10⁻⁴ M had little or no effect on the activity of pure glutathione reductase from yeast and did not appreciably alter the level of reduced glutathione in human erythrocytes stressed with acetylphenylhydrazine. We conclude that a direct inhibition by these particular compounds of any erythrocyte enzyme concerned with glutathione reduction is unlikely, and that the reported relationship between glutathione reductase and mushroom poisoning must involve other compounds or other mechanisms.