Hepatoprotective and hypolipidemic effects of water-soluble polysaccharidic extract of Pleurotus eryngii

The potential biological functions of Pleurotus eryngii have long been described in Chinese traditional medicine. However, little is known about the bioactive components of P. eryngii and their functions in liver injury and high-fat induced animal models. The present study thoroughly investigated the comprehensive functions of water-soluble polysaccharidic extract of P. eryngii (PEPE) using in vivo mouse models and in vitro biochemistry tests. PEPE could significantly increase the activities of antioxidant enzymes and effectively remove the free radicals in a liver-injury mouse model. Furthermore, in a high-fat-load mouse model, PEPE not only remarkably decreased the lipid levels of total cholesterol, total triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but also resulted in an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Histopathological observations indicated that PEPE could effectively prevent excessive lipid formation in liver tissue. Our data suggest that PEPE can be used as a valuable functional food additive for hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective treatments. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.