Hypolipidemic, Antioxidant, and Antiapoptotic Effects of Polysaccharides Extracted from Reishi Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Leysser: Fr) Karst, in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

J Med Food. 2018 Dec;21(12):1218-1227. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2018.4182. Epub 2018 Sep 5.

Abstract

The mechanisms underlying the effect of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) polysaccharides (GLP) on obesity are not clear. In this study, GLP were found to attenuate the oleic acid-induced cell viability loss and apoptosis dose dependently in splenic lymphocytes in vitro. The effects of GLP on lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in mice fed a high-fat diet (HD) were determined. GLP administration (200 and 400 mg/kg bw) significantly lowered the body-weight increases; liver, heart, and white adipose tissues indexes; serum lipid accumulation; and serum and small intestine oxidative stress in mice fed a HD. Moreover, GLP inhibited HD-induced apoptosis by decreasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and suppressing caspase-3 activation in splenic lymphocytes. These findings indicate that GLP can exert hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects in HD-induced obese mice.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects*
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Diet, High-Fat
  • Fruit
  • Hypolipidemic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Phytotherapy
  • Polysaccharides / pharmacology*
  • Reishi*

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Hypolipidemic Agents
  • Polysaccharides