Pleurotus ostreatus, an edible mushroom, enhances glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, ascorbate peroxidase and reduces xanthine dehydrogenase in major organs of aged rats

Abstract

Context: Aging is now considered to be associated with an elevation in oxidative damage to macromolecules and enhanced levels of inflammation. Therefore, inhibition of age-related oxidative stress by natural supplement is an important study.Objectives: To investigate whether the treatment with Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.: Fr) Kumm, (Pleurotaceae) can ameliorate oxidative damage in aged rats.Materials and methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups of six each: group 1, normal young rats; group 2, normal aged untreated rats; group 3, normal aged rats treated with P. ostreatus (200 mg/kg body wt administered intraperitoneally for 21 days). On the 22nd day, rats were sacrificed by decapitation; the liver, kidneys, heart and brain were removed from each rat for the biochemical and isozyme analyses of the antioxidant enzymes glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), ascorbate peroxidase (Apx) and xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH).Results: An elevated activity of XDH was observed in the liver (G2:13.72 ± 4.1 versus G1: 7.57 ± 1.15; p < 0.05), kidneys (G2:101.48 ± 12.3 versus G1: 31.15 ± 1.71; p < 0.01), heart (G2: 63.21 ± 3.96 versus G1: 37.3 ± 2.70; p < 0.01) and brain (G2: 39.02 ± 3.96 versus G1: 19.84 ± 1.22; p < 0.001). The activities of G6PDH and Apx were lowered in major organs of aged untreated rats. However, treatment of P. ostreatus to aged rats resulted in decreased XDH and increased G6PDH and Apx activities in liver, kidneys, heart and brain. Interestingly, analyses of isozyme pattern of these enzymes are support the results obtained from the spectrophotometric determinations.Conclusion: These results suggest that an extract of P. ostreatus can protect the age-related oxidative damage in major organs of Wistar rats by enhancing the antioxidant enzymes G6PDH and Apx and by reducing XDH.