Effect of ethanol extract of the fruiting bodies of Pleorotus ostreatus on the serum hepato-specific enzyme markers and liver histology of high sucrose-high fat diet-streptozotocin induced diabetic rats

Abstract

The effect of ethanol extract of the fruiting bodies of Pleurotusostreatus on the serum hepatospecific enzyme markers and liver histology were determined in high sucrose-high fat dietstreptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The pharmacological model was 20% High Sucrose (HS) + 20% High Fat Diet (HFD) + 35mg/kg body weight (intraperitoneal) Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rat model, with the fruiting body ethanol extracts administered orally at 50, 150 and 300mg/kg b.w. After 6 weeks of treatment, alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) of the treated groups and the reference treatment groups were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the D group but after the 9th week of treatment, the ALP activity of the diabetic groupstreated with fruiting body ethanol extract at 50mg/kg b.w., 150mg/kg b.w. and the reference treatment group were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the D group. All the treated groups had aspartate amino transferase activity that was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the D group at the end of 3 weeks but at the end of the 6th week of treatment, the AST activity of all the treated groups was significantly lower than the D group (p<0.05). At the end of the first 3 weeks of treatment, the alanine amino transference (ALT) activity of the diabetic group treated with fruiting body ethanol extract at 150mg/kg b.w. was significantly (p<0.05) lower than the D group. After 6 weeks of treatment, ALT activity of all the treatment groups as well as the reference treatment groups were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the D group but the values of the diabetic group treated with fruiting body ethanol extract at 150mg/mg b.w. and diabetic group treated with metformin hydrochloride at 150mg/kg b.w. were not significantly different (p>0.05) from the normal control. At the end of 9 weeks of treatment, the ALT activity of the diabetic group treated with fruiting body ethanol extract at 300mg/kg b.w. and diabetic group treated with fruiting body ethanol extract at 50mg/kg b.w. were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the D group although not significantly different than the normal control.The extract at 300mg/kg b.w. reversed the fatty liver and periportalinflammation caused by HS-HFD-streptozotocin induced diabetes in the rats to normal, indicating dose dependent protective effects of the extract against HS-HFD-streptozotocin induced hepatotoxicity alterations. The reduction in the serum levels of these liver enzymes by the extract suggests that they may be used to reverse the incidence of liver function test irregularities common in diabetic patients. The results suggest that ethanol extract of fruiting bodies of Pleurotusostreatus may be employed in the management of liver diseases associated with diabetes mellitus.