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Abstract

Maitake mushroom has been reported to favorably influence hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of whole Maitake mushroom powder and two extracts designated as ether soluble (ES) and water soluble (WS) on Zucker fatty rats (ZFR), a model of insulin resistance, and on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), a model of genetic hypertension. In the initial study, we followed four groups of eight ZFR and SHR receiving special diets: a baseline diet (BD), BD + whole Maitake mushroom powder (20% w/w), BD + fraction ES (0.10% w/w), and BD + WS (0.22% w/w). Different effects of these dietary regimens on the 2 rat strains were found. At 35 days, only consumption of the ES diet significantly decreased systolic BP (SBP) in SHR (average 197 vs. 176 mm Hg, p < 0.001), while in ZFR only the groups consuming the whole Maitake and WS diets showed significantly decreased SBP (138 vs. 120-125 mm Hg, p < 0.001). A challenge test with losartan (an angiotensin II receptor blocker) indicates that angiotensin II does not play a major role in SBP regulation of ZFR, but does in SHR where consumption of ES relative to other groups significantly lowered activity of this system. In SHR, glucose, cholesterol, circulating insulin and HbA1C were virtually similar among all dietary groups; but whole Maitake (-22%), ES (-120%) and WS (-80%) diets were associated with decreased triglycerides, and the ES diet with lowered serum creatinine (-29%). In ZFR, circulating insulin and HbA1C were significantly decreased in the whole Maitake powder and ES groups, and tended to be lower in the WS group compared to control. In the ensuing studies, we gavaged ZFR once daily with water (control), 44 mg fraction WS, or 44 mg fraction WS plus 100 microg niacin-bound chromium (NBC). Oral gavage of WS clearly lowered SBP and circulating glucose concentrations, more so with the addition of chromium. We conclude that the examined forms of Maitake mushroom have antihypertensive and antidiabetic potential which differ among rat strains. The ES fraction may decrease SBP in SHR via alteration in the renin-angiotensin system.

Dietary Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinus edodes) Prevents Fat Deposition and Lowers Triglyceride in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

“…Studies have been carried out to test plasma TAG-lowering effect by adding mushroom powder into the diets. The results varied, where studies showed a significant effect of lowering plasma TAG [14, 15, 18, 28, 29], whilst other did not [17, 30, 31]. There are a few factors that may explain these differing results.…”

Interaction of Aqueous Extract of Pleurotus pulmonarius (Fr.) Quel‐Champ. with Glyburide in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Mice

“…Many varieties of mushrooms have been reported to possess antihyperglycemic activity through various mechanism like glucose/insulin metabolism and/or by enhancing peripheral insulin sensitivity (9,30) or by enhancing insulin release by Islets of Langerhans (8,31). Insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity in A. campestris (a variety of mushroom) is reported earlier (8).…”

Beneficial effect of Sparassis crispa on stroke through activation of Akt/eNOS pathway in brain of SHRSP

“…It has been reported that mushroom species such as Lentinula edodes , Ganoderma lucidum , Grifola frondosa , Pleurotus cornucopiae , and Pleurotus nebrodensis have antihypertension activities; moreover, their mechanisms of action have been suggested to involve the decrease blood pressure by improvement in blood levels of triglyceride and cholesterol as well as kidney function and inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzymes [3, 4, 27, 28]. However, this is the first report to indicate an antihypertensive mechanism involving an improvement in endothelial signaling due to mushrooms.…”

“…Some mushrooms have been used in Chinese medicine and folk medicine for a long time. Recently published reports have demonstrated that various kinds of mushrooms have beneficial effects on blood pressure [3–6]. Sparassis crispa ( S. crispa ) is an edible mushroom that has recently been cultivated in Japan.…”