Consumption of Tlayudas (Tortillas) Containing Standardized Extracts from Mexican Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes) Increases the Expression of Antioxidant Genes in C57BL/6 Mice Fed a High-Cholesterol Diet.

Abstract

Maize is relevant part of Mexican food and culture. Tlayudas are a regional variant of tortillas from Oaxaca region. Tlayudas (T) containing functional properties of standardized hydroalcoholic extracts of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum from Mexico were studied [Gl-1: extracts from basidiocarps cultivated on the control substrate; Gl-2: extracts from basidiocarps cultivated on substrate treated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, 10 mM)]. Antioxidant properties of these tlayudas (T+Gl-1, T+Gl-2) were assessed using an in vivo model (C57BL/6 mice) fed with a high-cholesterol diet (HC). The consumption of T+Gl-1 or T+Gl-2 decreased serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, and glucose. The expression of antioxidant genes increased in mice groups consuming tlayudas plus Gl-1 or Gl-2 extracts, namely SOD1 (37.3-72.7%), SOD2 (28.3-29.6%), CAT (29.3-59.4%), and GPX1 (62.7-66.8%), respectively, compared with the HC group. There was a differential effect of Gl extracts, the mice group consuming tlayudas plus the Gl-2 extract showed further increase of expression of SOD1, CAT, and GPX1 genes, compared with the group administered with tlayudas plus the Gl-1 extract. This effect was associated with a higher content of antioxidant compounds [β-glucans, total polyphenols, antioxidant capacity (ORAC)] in tlayudas containing the Gl-2 extract. We showed that new functional food products of high added value (T+Gl-1, T+Gl-2) can be developed from Mexican traditional foods highly consumed, such as tlayudas, in order to promote healthier diets for preventing cardiovascular and chronic degenerative diseases associated to oxidative stress.