Abstract: Background: Meniere's disease (MD) is a cochlear neurodegenerative disease. Hearing loss appears to be triggered by oxidative stress in the ganglion neurons of the inner ear.
Objectives: Here, we confirm the variation of markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in patients with Meniere and hypothesize that chronic treatment with Coriolus versicolor mushroom (3 g/day) day helps in the response to oxidative stress and acts on α-synuclein and on NF-kB-mediated inflammatory processes.
Methods: Markers of oxidative stress and inflammation were evaluated in MD patients with or without Coriolus treatment for 3 or 6 months.
Results: MD patients had a small increase in Nrf2, HO-1, γ-GC, Hsp70, Trx and sirtuin-1, which were further increased by Coriolus treatment, especially after 6 months. Increased markers of oxidative damage, such as protein carbonyls, HNE, and ultraweak chemiluminescence, associated with a decrease in plasma GSH/GSSG ratio, were also observed in lymphocytes from MD patients. These parameters were restored to values similar to the baseline in patients treated with Coriolus for both 3 and 6 months. Furthermore, treated MD subjects showed decreased expression of α-synuclein, GFAP and Iba-1 proteins and modulation of the NF-kB pathway, which were impaired in MD patients. These changes were greatest in subjects taking supplements for 6 months.

The Coriolus versicolor used in this clinical study was supplied by Mycology Research Laboratories Ltd.