Effect of medicinal mushrooms on blood cells under conditions of diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the third most common non-infectious disease leading to early disability and high mortality. Moreover, the number of patients is growing every year. The main symptom of DM is hyperglycemia. Increased levels of blood glucose activate polyol, hexosamine, and protein kinase metabolic pathways cause the intensification of non-enzymatic glycosylation and nitration of macromolecules. This, in turn, leads to the development of oxidative and nitrative stresses and secondary complications, such as different kinds of micro- and macroangiopathies. Metabolic disorders caused by insulin deficiency in diabetes significantly impede the functioning of a homeostasis system, which change the physical, biochemical, morphological, and functional properties of blood cells. As a result, the oxygen-transport function of red blood cells (RBCs), rheological properties of the blood, and functions of immunocompetent cells as well as the process of apoptosis are primarily affected. Modern pharmacotherapy focuses on the search for new preparations that aim to decrease blood glucose levels. Undesirable side effects and adverse reactions caused by synthetic medicines led to the search and investigation of new preparations of natural origin. Medicinal mushrooms play an important role among such new preparations. They are a source of a large number of high- and low-molecular compounds with pronounced biological effects. Our investigations show pronounced hypoglycemic and anti-anemic action of submerged cultivated mycelium powder of medicinal mushrooms Agaricus brasiliensis (A. brasiliensis) and Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) on streptozotocin-induced DM in rats. Also, we showed that mycelium powders have membrane protective properties as evidenced by the redistribution of RBC populations towards the growth of full functional cell numbers. Normalization of parameters of leukocyte formula and suppression of apoptosis of white blood cells in diabetic rats treated with A. brasiliensis and G. lucidum mycelia indicates pronounced positive effects of these strains of mushrooms. Thus, the use of medicinal mushrooms for treatment of DM and in prevention development of its secondary complications might be a new effective approach of this disease’s cure. This article is aimed at summarizing and analyzing the literature data and basic achievements concerning DM type 1 treatment using medicinal mushrooms and showing the results obtained in our research.

Adjuvant Therapy With Mushroom Polysaccharides for Diabetic Complications

“…The side effects of these drugs seriously endanger the health of patients and are difficult to address, as summarized and shown in Table S1. Adverse reactions, undesirable side effects and the huge cost of synthetic drugs are some of the reasons for the trend of searching for alternative natural agents with low price and side effects for the treatment of DM and especially its complications (Mohammed et al, 2007;Vitak et al, 2017).…”

Antidiabetical and hypoglycemic action of mushroom polysaccharides

“…-increased synthesis of glycogen in the liver; -improving the use of glucose by peripheral tissues; -anti-inflammatory effect; -antioxidant and antiradical action [29][30][31]. Currently, diabetes is treated with either insulin replacement therapy or oral hypoglycemic drugs such as sulfonylurea derivatives, biguanides, thiazolidinediones, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.…”

Genoprotective effects of Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) polysaccharides in UVB-exposed embryonic zebrafish (Danio rerio) through coordinated expression of DNA repair genes

“…Such powerful beneficial effects are largely due to the immunomodulatory, antiinflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide. Chaga tea is popular and consumed in many countries for several remedies and health promoting effects [5,6].…”

“…Although there are in vivo repair mechanisms to manage and correct DNA mutations and maintain is integrity such as photo-reactivation, base/nucleotide excision repair, DNA replication related methyl mismatch repair, in addition to large scale and nonspecific repair systems (SOS response and apoptosis), the degree of repair depends on the extent of damage and the status of the repair systems of the human body [10]. Therefore, intake of natural antioxidants and immune boosters are highly recommended for maintaining a healthy state of the DNA and eventually the whole body [4,6]. In this regard, Chaga mushroom is a promising supplement whose benefits have been assessed in several metabolic and chronic disorders.…”