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Pleurotus sajor-caju and Pleurotus florida Mushrooms Improve Some Extent of the Antioxidant Systems in the Liver of Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Objectives: There is evidence that the antioxidant systems are imbalanced in hypercholesterolemic rats due to oxidative stress. Dietary supplementation of Pleurotus sajor-caju and P. florida are anti-hypercholesterolemic in rats. In this study, it was investigated whether these mushrooms have any effects on the antioxidant systems in hypercholesterolemic rat liver, which are altered. Methods: Twenty young Long-Evans rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control (fed basal diet), HC (fed 1% cholesterol with basal diet), HC+PS (fed 5% P. sajor-caju powder with 1% cholesterol and basal diet) and HC+PF (fed 5% P. florida powder with 1% cholesterol and basal diet). Rats were fed for 40 days, and then after sacrifice livers were collected, washed and homogenized. The content of reduced glutathione (GSH), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in homogenate were measured. Results: All the studied parameters were altered in hypercholesterolemic rats significantly in comparison with control group, except catalase (non-significant). Feeding of P. florida protected liver lipid peroxidation in hypercholesterolemic rat, as TBARS was significantly lower (by 34.5%) in HC+PF group than in HC group. Feeding of both mushrooms showed significant improvement in the activity of GPx in liver of hypercholesterolemic rats (in HC+PS and HC+PF, the activity was higher by 50% and 80%, respectively than in HC group). However, mushroom feeding showed no significant effect on GSH level, SOD and catalase activity in hypercholesterolemic rats. Conclusion: This investigation confirms the antioxidant activities of P. sajor-caju and P. florida to some extent in hypercholesterolemic rats in addition to their anti-hypercholesterolemic activity.