Mycobiology.
2011 Dec;39(4):283-289.
Appraisal of Antihyperlipidemic Activities of Lentinus lepideus in Hypercholesterolemic Rats
- Affiliations
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- 1Division of Life Sciences, University of Incheon, Incheon 406-840, Korea. tslee@incheon.ac.kr
- 2Mushroom Division, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration, Suwon 441-707, Korea.
- 3Department of Botany, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh.
- 4Mushroom Research Institute, Geonggi Agricultural Research and Extension Service, Gwangju 464-720, Korea.
Abstract
- The wild edible mushroom, Lentinus lepideus has recently been cultivated for commercial use in Korea. While the mushroom has been widely used for nutritional and medicinal purposes, the possible anti-hyperlipidemic action is unclear. The effects of dietary L. lepideus on plasma and feces biochemical and on the liver histological status were investigated in hypercholesterolemic rats. Six-wk-old female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 10 rats each. Biochemical and histological examinations were performed. A diet containing 5% L. lepideus fruiting bodies reduced plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, total lipid, phospholipids, and the ratio of low-density to high-density lipoprotein. Body weight was reduced. The diet did not adversely affect plasma biochemical and enzyme profiles. L. lepideus reduced significantly plasma beta- and pre-beta-lipoprotein, while alpha-lipoprotein content was increased. A histological study of hepatic cells by conventional hematoxylin-eosin and oil red O staining revealed normal findings for mushroom-fed hypercholesterolemic rats. The present study suggests that a diet supplemented with L. lepideus can provide health benefits by acting on the atherogenic lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats.