Protection Against Alloxan-induced Diabetes by Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides in Mice

摘要

This study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect against alloxan-induced diabetes in mice by Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GL-PS) isolated from the fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. Ex Fr.) Karst. GL-PS dose-dependently increased serum insulin contents and reduced serum glucose levels when given intragastically for continuous 10 days in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. It was found that the liver and pancreas homogenates had higher lipid peroxidation products in alloxan administered mice than in the GL-PS-treated animals. GL-PS also increase the activities of liver and pancreas catalase and pancreas GSH-px significantly in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. In addition, aldehyde fuchsin staining revealed that alloxan caused nearly all the β cells to disappear from in the pancreatic islets, while GL-PS could partly protect the β cells from necrosis. The effect of GL-PS was maximum at 200mg/kg. These results indicate that GL-PS is able to lessen the biochemical damage induced by alloxan in mice and this might be due, in part, to its antioxidant action.