Ergothionein: Healthy-Aging Advances

Continuing a decade-long clinical investigation into L-ergothionein, a leading ingredient-focused biotech company, announced a surprising and novel application for its L-ergothionein ingredient MitoPrime™: the upregulation of DNA repair pathways.

L-ergothionein and Aging:

The authors of the most comprehensive review on aging titled “The Hallmarks of Aging” concluded that genomic stability, created by healthy DNA, is “the number one predictor of longevity.”

A new patent filing now appears to take that aging research and give it a practical application.

In the filing, the biomechanistic interactions between L-ergothionein and the key molecular targets involved in upregulating repair pathways.

Additionally, the patent outlines other important “age correcting” mechanisms credited to ergothionein, including augmenting the rate of cell renewal, restoring mitochondrial function to a youthful state, increasing oxygen distribution, and ameliorating transcriptional states from old to young.

• Upregulation of DNA repair pathways
• Amelioration of transcriptional cellular states from old to young
• Restoration of mitochondrial structure to a more youthful state
• Augmentation of the rate and quality of cell renewal
• Upregulation of oxygen distribution

What Is Ergothionein?

Ergothionein is a naturally occurring amino acid found in the highest concentrations in certain mushroom species. Ergothionein is unique, being the only micronutrient possessing its own dedicated nutrient transport protein known as ETT (formerly OCTN1).

Ergothionein was termed a “longevity vitamin” by renowned research scientist Bruce Ames, PhD, due to its antioxidant capability. The patent filing now elevates ergothionein’s role to a target-specific nutrigenomic with genuine age-mitigating effects.

“We began our series of ‘12 Investigative Clinical Trials with L-ergothioniene’ in the third quarter of 2020,” says Kylin Liao, founder. “We will continue our investigative pursuit into ergothionein’s plethora of benefits, including heart health, cognitive improvement, immune health, and mitigating the long-term effects of extreme viruses such as COVID-19.”

MitoPrime™ has been approved for use in beverages such as coffee, tea, juice, and soda. Dr. Joseph Evans, PhD, former principal investigator at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, noted that over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day and said, “MitoPrime™ provides a new and very practical approach to improving health, wellness, and the human condition worldwide.”

On May 15, 2021, results of initial four clinical/ex vivo studies were made available on the Clinical Trial page of the ingredient’s website. The remaining eight ongoing studies are looking into ergothionein’s benefit as both a therapeutic ingestible as well as a topical treatment for dermatological applications and are scheduled to be completed between August 18, 2021, and February 21, 2022. Results will be made available to the public 30 days following the conclusion of each trial, the company says.