Mushroom
The green tuberous-leaf mushroom of the Amanitaceae family is native to Europe and grows under oaks, beeches, sweet chestnuts and other deciduous trees. It is also found on other continents. The fruiting body is white and the cap has a greenish color. The less poisonous fly agaric also belongs to the same family.
Ingredients
The toxic ingredients are cyclic peptides, which are divided into three groups: Amatoxins, Phallotoxins, and Viotoxins. The most dangerous are the liver and kidney toxic amatoxins, which include α-amanitin. The amatoxins are heat stable, so they are not destroyed by cooking or drying. In addition, they dissolve in water and are not broken down in the digestive tract. Amatoxins also survive freezing and thawing.
Effects
Amanitins have cytotoxic properties. They inhibit the enzyme RNA polymerase II and inhibit transcription, which prevents protein synthesis and eventually leads to cell death.
Poisoning
Green tuberous leaf fungus is extremely toxic and can cause death after ingestion. The cause of poisoning is usually confusion or ignorance when picking mushrooms. The green button mushroom is the mushroom which most often causes deaths. The poisoning first manifests itself in gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. This is followed by a symptom-free latency period. The liver-toxic amatoxins destroy the liver and kidney tissue and finally lead to organ failure. Death may occur after a few days. Therapy is carried out on an inpatient basis. For drug treatment, drugs given include silibinin from milk thistle, activated charcoal, benzylpenicillin, ceftazidime, vitamin C, and N-acetylcysteine. Polymyxin B also appears to be appropriate. Liver transplantation may be required.
