The antioxidant potential of oral intake of flour produced from Agaricus brasiliensis mycelium in hamsters with hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

The main function of antioxidant defense system is to inhibit or reduce the cells damage caused by reactive oxygen species. Some antioxidants occurring in the diet enhance the antioxidant defense of plasma. The antioxidant potential of oral intake of a flour produced with A. brasiliensis mycelium fermented on wheat grains was evaluated in plasma samples from male hypercholesterolemic Syrian Golden hamsters, were divided into four groups: P (standard diet), H (standard hypercholesterolemic diet), C (standard diet + 10 % of wheat flour containing mycelium of A. brasiliensis), and HC (standard diet hypercholesterolemic + 10 % wheat flour containing mycelium of A. brasiliensis). The animals were fed for 40 days and then sacrificed for collecting plasma. The antioxidant capacity analysis showed that the dietary intake of group C induced the most significant increase of antioxidants concentrations in plasmas (0.39 mg.mL-1, expressed in ascorbic acid). The HC group showed higher antioxidant capacity than the H group (p < 0.05), as it inhibited 20.2 % of crocin bleaching, while the H group inhibited 10.4 % only; however the HC group showed a similar antioxidant capacity of P group (16.64 %). It is suggested that the consumption of wheat flour containing mycelium of A. brasiliensis induced the antioxidant protection in animals plasma.