Oyster mushrooms are popular and physiologically beneficial to human health. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of oyster mushrooms such as Pleurotus ostreatus, P. pulmonarius, and P. citrinopileatus on high cholesterol fed rats. Five-week old female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 8 rats each. Feeding a diet containing a 5% fruiting body powder of Pleurotus species to high cholesterol fed rats reduced plasma total cholesterol (TG), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Feeding each oyster mushroom also significantly reduced body weight in high cholesterol fed rats. However, it had no adverse effects on plasma albumin, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, glucose, total protein or enzyme profiles such as glutamate oxalate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) which are related to kidney function. Feeding each mushroom increased total lipid and cholesterol excretion in feces. A histological study of hepatic cells by conventional red O staining showed normal findings in mushroom-fed hyperlipidemic rats. These results suggested that diet supplementation of 5% fruiting body power of Pleurotus species provided health benefits by acting on the atherogenic lipid profile in high cholesterol fed rats.

The HWND_G02 (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, Crataegus pinnatifida, Polygonum multiflorum Thunberg, Cnidium officinale Makino) and HWND_G03 (Cinnamonum cassia Blume, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, Crataegus pinnatifida, Polygonum multiflorum Thunberg, Cnidium officinale Makino, Allium macrostemon Bunge) are new natural mixture composed with several oriental herbs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of HWND extracts on high cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced hyperlipidemic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups: control, HCD, atorvastatin (5 ㎎/㎏, po), ethanolic extracts of HWND_G02 (1,000 ㎎/㎏, po) and HWND_G03 (1,000 ㎎/㎏, po) were administered to the HCD-induced hyperlipidemic rats for 4 weeks to evaluate their anti-hyperlipidemic activities. HWND extracts markedly decreased body and liver wight gain, and recovered serum lipid levels, such as total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) in the HCDinduced hyperlipidemic rats. Furthermore, the lipid levels (TC and TG) and the lipid accumulation were significantly lowered in the liver tissue of HWND-administrated rats. After a HCD, each group had a lower atherogenic index (AI) compared to the HCD group. In conclusion, these data suggest that HWND extracts could be the candidate for the material to prevent hyperlipidemia.

탱자 추출액이 비만을 유도한 흰쥐의 지질강하 및 항산화효과에 미치는 영향을 검토했다. 혈장유리지방산 및 triglyceride 량은 대조군과 비교하여 탱자 처리군이 유의하게 낮은 값을 보였다. 그러나 정상군의 수준까지 나타내지는 않았다. 총콜레스테롤 및 LDL-cho.농도는 탱자 처리군 모두가 대조군보다 현저하게 하락한 값을 나타내었다. HDL-cho.은 대조군을 비롯하여 전 처리군에서 유의한 차이를 나타내지 않았다. 간장내 총콜레스테롤과 triglyceride량은 정자 처리군이 대조군 보다 현저하게 낮은 값을 보였다. 혈장 및 간장의 TBARS 농도는 탱자처리량이 증가함에 따라 감소하였다. GSH-Px, SOD 및 CAT 활성치는 탱자 처리군에서 높은 활성치를 보였다. 그러나 SOD의 활성치는 대조군과 유의한 차이를 나타내지는 않았다.