ABSTRACT: According to WHO, cardiovascular diseases are among the major causes of death on the planet. One of the main risk factors is elevated level of blood cholesterol. Therefore, development of new, effective and safe measures to reduce the level of blood cholesterol is an important and actual problem. Our study was devoted to hypolipidemic effect of mycelia of some basidiomycetes, which can be used as a food supplement, to reduce elevated levels of cholesterol. As it is known, fungi, being a good source of nutritive protein, also possess a wide range of different kinds of biological activities. Mushrooms which perform hypolipidemic activity can reduce cholesterol levels and could be a promising tool to control hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia. Submerged cultivation of basidiomycetes was carried out for 7 days on a medium containing glucose and peptone as carbon and nitrogen sources respectively. After culturing, the biomass was separated from the native liquid by filtration and dried at 50 0 C, grinded and obtained powder preparation was used for the study of hypolipidemic and hypocholesterolic activity. Experiment was performed during 21 days using white male rats received from Rappolovo station of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (St. Petersburg). Animals have been divided into groups on seven animals in each. Animals in intact group received a standard dry fodder and water ad libidum. The control group received hyperlipidemic diet and water. Animals from experimental groups received hyperlipidemic diet with the addition of mushroom preparation. The concentration of total cholesterol and cholesterol of high density lipoproteins in blood plasma was defined using a cholesterol determination kit of “Human” (Germany). The method is based on a combination of enzymatic reaction with a reaction of oxidation. It has been shown that addition of most of mycelia powders of investigated fungi to hyperlipidemic fodder of rats leads to a significant reduction in total cholesterol levels in the blood. However, in some cases, this decrease was related to decrease of alpha-cholesterol. The most decrease in atherogenic factor, and hence the risk of blockage of blood vessels was observed when mycelia of Trichoderma ochracea and Panus conchatus were added to hyperlipidemic fodder.
Shamtsyan M, Antontceva E, Panchenko A, and Petrischev N. Hyperlipidemic and Hypocholesterolic Action of Submerged Cultured Mushrooms. Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design. 94-97.