Orally Administered Aqueous Extract of Pleurotus ostreatus Ameliorates Hyperglycemia in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm. (Family: Pleurotaceae), commonly known as oyster mushroom, has been widely used to treat various ailments from simple headache to serious ones like diabetes. The mushroom has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In the present study, aqueous extract of P. ostreatus (AEPO) was examined for its antidiabetic activity in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. STZ was administered to rats at 50 mg/kg body weight (i.p.), AEPO was orally administered at 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, and metformin (500 mg/kg) was administered as positive control. The hypoglycemic effects of the AEPO were analyzed by assessing the blood glucose levels (oral glucose tolerance test, acute and postprandial antihyperglycemic activity), lipid parameters, and other hematological studies in comparison to standard drug (metformin). Results showed that AEPO caused a 26% reduction in blood glucose during fasting while 45% reduction in blood glucose during postprandial antihyperglycemic test in STZ-diabetic rats. It also helped in the normalizations of various complications associated with diabetes mellitus in rats. Observations from the current experiments indicate that P. ostreatus help in reduction of blood glucose level, thus confirming its antidiabetic activity in STZ-induced diabetes in rats. This study further advocates that supplementation of edible mushroom P. ostreatus could be a preventive approach in diabetes as well as in obesity management.