As people fight against aging, the topic of antioxidants continues, and many anti-aging ingredients are well known. These include the two ingredients ergothioneine and spermidine. Today, Nutri Avenue will discuss these two ingredients and compare which is better.
Ergothioneine Powder: An Antioxidant And Anti-Aging Ingredient In The Trend
Ergothioneine is a natural amino acid. Its scientific name is 2-mercapto-histidine-trimethyl internal salt. It has significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cell protection, color protection, and anti-UV radiation functions. It is also a natural antioxidant. The thione group in the molecular structure of ergothioneine undergoes a thiol-thione resonance interconversion equilibrium. But under physiological pH conditions, it mainly exists as thione. This property distinguishes ergothioneine from other biological thiol compounds.
Ergothioneine is a common component of many microbial cells (Spirulina, Mycobacteria, Basidiomycetes, Ascomycetes, etc.). It can be synthesized in several fungi (Enoki mushrooms, Lentinus edodes, Pleurotus Leucophylla, Pleurotus Eryngii, etc.) but cannot be synthesized in bacteria. Animals cannot synthesize it themselves.
Different from other common antioxidants, such as glutathione, ascorbic acid, etc., ergothioneine will not be rapidly metabolized or excreted into the urine after being rapidly absorbed from the diet by humans or other animals. Instead, it exists in human tissue and body fluids as thione. It is, therefore, less susceptible to auto-oxidation and can accumulate to higher levels in some tissues and body fluids.
The Antioxidant Capacity Of Ergothioneine
- It scavenges hydroxyl free radicals.
Data show that the highest scavenging rate of glutathione hydroxyl radicals at 0.262 mmol/L is only 22.2%. Ergothioneine can reach a maximum of 64.26%. It shows that ergothioneine’s hydroxyl radical scavenging ability is stronger than glutathione’s and is positively correlated with the amount added.
FRANZONI et al. found that compared with common antioxidants, like ascorbic acid, tocopherol, and glutathione etc., ergothioneine has a better effect in scavenging peroxyl free radicals and hydroxyl free radicals.
- It scavenges DPPH free radicals.
DPPH free radical is a relatively stable free radical. Therefore, it can combine with the antioxidant’s single electron to cause fading. The intensity of its fading is directly related to the antioxidant capacity of antioxidants.
Data show that the DPPH free radical scavenging ability of ergothioneine at 0.349-0.872 mmol/L is always between ascorbic acid and glutathione. When the concentration increases to 0.523-1.047 mmol/L, the DPPH free radical scavenging ability of ergothioneine stabilizes at around 96%.
Spermidine: An Another Choice For Antioxidant And Anti-Aging
Spermidine is a polyamine that has two or more primary amino groups. It is naturally occurring and widely present in ribosomes and living tissues. It plays an important role in cell function and survival. In the body, spermidine is produced from its precursor putrescine. It is a precursor to another polyamine called spermine, which is also important for cell function.
Spermidine and putrescine stimulate autophagy. One system is an important quality control mechanism for mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell. It is primarily responsible for breaking down intracellular waste and recycling cellular components. Autophagy breaks down and processes damaged or defective mitochondria. Mitochondrial processing is more tightly controlled than previously thought.
Some studies suggest that spermidine may protect against liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which are common causes of liver cancer. Some believe it may affect aging and promote longevity. It is known for its ability to promote autophagy. It is a cell cycle program. It helps cells remove waste and unwanted components. It is also the most likely reason why it may affect aging.
In addition to this, spermidine supports health and longevity in other ways. Some studies suggest this ingredient has anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, it is involved in lipid metabolism, cell growth and proliferation, and programmed cell death (so-called apoptosis).
On the other hand, the persistent inflammation associated with aging is harmful. Chronic inflammation prevents healthy tissue from regenerating. This leads to immune cell dysfunction and even accelerated aging of healthy cells. Spermidine appears to reduce this type of chronic inflammation. It may be a way to slow down the aging of cells and tissues.
Ergothioneine VS Spermidine: Which One Is Better?
Bruce Ames, an academician of the National Academy of Sciences, an expert on cancer and anti-aging, and a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, calls ergothioneine a “longevity nutrient.” Currently, the market has received constant praise for the efficacy of ergothioneine. And the experimental data also shows better.
However, before 2017, ergothioneine could only be extracted from rare fungi. One pound of fresh Ganoderma lucidum contains only 40mg of ergothioneine. Therefore, its price once exceeded 30 million US dollars/kg. In recent years, with the development of synthetic biology technology, the price of ergothioneine in 2023 will be US$300,000/kg. But it’s still the price of gold.
The anti-aging effects of spermidine have also been studied for a long time. Its market price is relatively low.
Both are great anti-aging ingredients.
Conclusion
With NMN banned by the FDA, there has been a heated discussion about NMN alternatives for antioxidant and anti-aging ingredients on the market. Spermidine and ergothioneine are both hot ingredient choices. Nutri Avenue highly recommends these two ingredients. Welcome to contact our sales team for more product information, such as COA and the latest quotation.