Restoration of liver function in malnourished mice orally administered with Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting bodies extract

Context: Malnutrition is considered worldwide as an important burden because it provokes serious damage in several physiological and metabolic mechanisms, among them the hepatic function. Currently, natural products are being used to reduce the negative impact of some pathological disorders in liver. Pleurotus genus of edible mushrooms has shown a wide spectrum of medicinal effects, but its role in the management of liver complications associated to malnutrition is not clear. Aims: To evaluate the restoration of hepatic function in BALB/c malnourished mice, orally administered with a crude water extract (CW-P) from Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting bodies. Methods: Animals (8-week old female BALB/c mice) were starved for 3 days and then refed with commercial diet supplemented with or without CW-P (100 mg/kg) for 8 days. Serum ALP, GGT and amylase activities, hepatic enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP, LDH, GGT), and liver histological examination were assayed. Results: CW-P (34.3 % proteins, 42.6 % carbohydrates and 3.8 g/ 100 g of phenolics) administered to malnourished mice: (i) increased total serum proteins concentration that was correlated with the stimulation in liver protein anabolism, (ii) alleviated hepatic damage markers such as decrease serum ALP levels as well as, in ALP, GGT y AST activities in liver samples, and (iii) improved liver histological architecture similar to control group with decreased lipid accumulation. Conclusions: CW-P supplementation favored liver restoration in malnourished mice. Nutritional interventions with this mushroom extract may be suggested to prevent liver complications associated to malnutrition.