A look into the hepatoxic effect of the Deathcap Mushroom.
Okey dokey then...
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So, yeah...hepato-toxic. Kills the liver.
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I suppose one could stop there and call it good, but that really wouldn't suffice to tell the tale and the more I dug into it the more interesting it was. The Deathcap mushroom produce two major toxin groups – amatoxins and phallotoxins (yeah, that did make me giggle, I admit it).
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The Amatoxin being the key component we'll examine here...
(Lee, MD 2012) (Santini, 2012)
Now then...
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Since I like to mix it up a bit...first a few thoughts about DNA and RNA.
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DNA can be described as the master blue print of a house or the initial code of a computer program; that first set of instructions, if you will. RNA is the copy, the working script as it were; now then...one step deeper in the gene pool (oh, I have ALWAYS wanted to say that!) - there is an essential enzyme called RNA polymerase that will bind to the DNA strand allowing it unwind (during the transcription phase), thus giving it a base from which to build a template for the copy that'll follow. This way, a single gene can be copied into hundred, thousands...millions...eh, you get the idea. Works sort of like PK-Unzip, just WAY more efficient (and to think that nature came up with the idea first...).
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So?
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Wanna take a stab at what the amatoxin does?
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DING
DING
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DING!
THAT'S RIGHT! IT'S FIBRINOLYTIC AND STOPS BLOOD FROM CLOTING! No...wait...that doesn't sound right...
Sorry. Just having fun...
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As I was saying...
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The amatoxin found in the deathcap mushroom actually blocks the action of the mRNA polymerase.
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No transcription. No translation. Cellular breakdown, cellular death and eventual organ system failure and death of the organism. Since there is no longer any essential cellular protein synthesis (back to the blocking of the mRNA polymerase), cellular function breaks down the cells die, but why the liver and kidneys? Basically, they are the bodies garbage dumps.
Ewww...
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Mother mother used to make me eat them...
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All the time...yet, most of the toxins are moved through the liver and kidneys, and the toxin of the deathcap mushrooms have a special affinity for the liver, so they tend to “clump” in hepatic cells and do the most damage there. Initial treatment is supportive – gastric lavage, activated charcoal to remove any remaining toxin in the GI tract; hydration to correct electrolyte imbalance and correction for expected metabolic acidosis. Secondary treatment is limited in scope, interestingly, to high dose / long term cephelsporin antibiotic therapy; though the exact mechanism seems to be unknown. I did see where a clinical trial was started in 2010 to use sillibinin extracted from blessed milk thistle as a supportive therapy, which makes sense the mechanism there is well understood to block the uptake of the amotoxin, thus protecting any undamaged hepatocytes still around; further it seems to stimulate the production RNA polymerase. Good thing, that! (Lee, MD 2012) (Gumz, 2010) (Main 2014)
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Okay, probably a little deeper than required...
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In my defense, I am an ER Nurse at heart and it's what I do...
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So, long story short – the Deathcap Mushroom blocks the cell's ability to reproduce essential proteins at the genetic level by blocking the function of the mRNA polymerase. Without this enzyme unwinding the DNA strand, there can be no transcription and translation, no reproduction of essential proteins, a complete breakdown of cellular function and eventual cellular/organ/system/body death.
Citations:
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1) Lee, MD, D., Bentley, MD, S., & Bania, MD, T. (2012, December 6). Amatoxin Toxicity . Retrieved August 5, 2014.
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2) Main, D. (2014, February 11). Found: Possible Antidote For Death Cap Mushroom Poisoning. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
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3) Gumz, J. (2010, May 10). Dominican doctors pioneering research on mushroom poisoning antidote. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
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4) Santi, L., Maggioli, C., Mastrooroberto, M., Tufoni, M., Napoli, L., & Caraceni, P. (2012, January 1). Acute Liver Failure Caused by Amanita phalloides Poisoning. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
