Why ergothioneine behaves differently from most antioxidants
A few interesting points on ergothioneine that don’t get discussed much:
Ergothioneine isn’t just a generic antioxidant. It has a specific transporter (SLC22A4 / OCTN1), which is relatively rare and usually signals biological importance.
Because of that transporter, certain cells actively accumulate and retain it, while others don’t take it up much at all.
It also tends to concentrate in tissues under oxidative stress and can persist there for extended periods, which is very different from short-lived circulating antioxidants.
In a recent podcast, our co-founder and CEO, Baran Dilaver, discussed this with Dave Asprey.
Asprey compared ergothioneine to a “sister molecule” of glutathione, and Baran shared how he first came across it through a case where high-ergothioneine mushrooms (like porcini) were recommended for someone with severe cognitive decline, with noticeable behavioral changes.
They also touched on a few key points:
- It’s present in mother’s milk
- The body has specific transporters for it
- It can concentrate in damaged tissue for extended periods
On the clinical side, Professor Barry Halliwell of Oxford University is currently running a trial on ergothioneine with early results described as "really promising" for Alzheimer's. Notably, the trial was crowd-funded rather than pharma-backed, because ergo is not patentable, public funds are required to show the benefits of this great molecule. His work also helped establish the minimum effective dose needed for supplementation to be meaningful
Practically speaking, getting meaningful amounts from diet alone would require consistently eating large amounts of mushrooms.
Full conversation:
https://youtu.be/FNfXonKPwwM?si=cqDzdERrIMaOjhM3
Curious if anyone here has looked into ergothioneine beyond just “another antioxidant.”