Mycobiology.  2011 Jun;39(2):96-102.

Antihyperlipidemic Effect of Dietary Lentinus edodes on Plasma, Feces and Hepatic Tissues in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

• Yoon KN
• Alam N
• Lee JS
• Cho HJ
• Kim HY
• Shim MJ
• Lee MW
• Lee TS

Abstract

We investigated diet supplementation with shiitake mushroom fruiting bodies on biochemical and histological changes in hypercholesterolemic rats. Six-wk old female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 10 rats each. A diet containing 5% Lentinus edodes fruiting bodies given to hypercholesterolemic rats reduced plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total lipid, phospholipids, and the LDL/high-density lipoprotein ratio by 34.33, 53.21, 75.00, 34.66, 25.73, and 71.43%, respectively. Feeding mushroom also significantly reduced body weight in hypercholesterolemic rats. However, it had no detrimental effects on plasma albumin, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, glucose, total protein, calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, inorganic phosphate, magnesium, or enzyme profiles. Feeding mushroom increased total lipid and cholesterol excretion in feces. The plasma lipoprotein fraction, separated by agarose gel electrophoresis, indicated that L. edodes significantly reduced plasma beta and pre-beta-lipoprotein but increased alpha-lipoprotein. A histological study of hepatic cells by conventional hematoxylin-eosin and oil red-O staining showed normal findings for mushroom-fed hypercholesterolemic rats. These results suggest that shiitake mushrooms could be recommended as a natural cholesterol lowering substance in the diet.

Keyword

Agarose gel electrophoresis; Atherogenic lipid profile; Histopathology; Hypercholesterolemic rats; Lentinus edodes

MeSH Terms

Agaricales
Animals
Bilirubin
Blood Urea Nitrogen
Body Weight
Calcium
Cholesterol
Creatinine
Diet
Electrophoresis, Agar Gel
Feces
Female
Fruit
Glucose
Hepatocytes
Humans
Lentinula
Lipoproteins
Magnesium
Phospholipids
Plasma
Potassium
Rats
Serum Albumin
Shiitake Mushrooms
Sodium
Uric Acid
Bilirubin
Calcium
Cholesterol
Creatinine
Glucose
Lipoproteins
Magnesium
Phospholipids
Potassium
Serum Albumin
Sodium
Uric Acid