Antiparkinsonian Activity of Aqueous Extract of Agaricus Blazei Murill in Rotenone-induced Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Parkinsons disease is a chronic neurological disorder which may be due to reduction in the dopaminergic neurons in the brain. However, Agaricus blazei is a rich source of natural antioxidants. Aim: In this study, antiparkinsonian activity of Agaricus blazei Murill was evaluated using different animal models. Method: Antiparkinsonian activity was evaluated using two different doses (273 mg/kg and 819 mg/kg) of Agaricus blazei Murill. Rotenone and sunflower oil were used as positive and negative control, respectively. Catalepsy test, rotarod test, exploratory behavior test (rearing) and locomotor activity test were conducted to observe antiparkinsonian activity of the drug in rats. Result: The results of the animal models were confirmed by determining the levels of reduced glutathione, total protein, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and nitric oxide in the animal brain. Pretreatment with Agaricus blazei Murill, showed marked reduction in rotenone-induced catalepsy and a significant increase in exploratory behavior, muscular activity, and locomotor activity in rats. Agaricus blazei Murill has also shown extremely significant effect in decreasing the oxidative stress in the animal brain by increasing the brain levels of reduced GSH and total proteins and decreasing the levels of nitrite and TBARS. Conclusion: The results of rotenone-induced catalepsy, exploratory behavior, rotarod test and locomotor activity showed that Agaricus blazei Murill exerts a significant ameliorative effect on Parkinson’s disease in rats.

Therapeutic Value of Medicinal Mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill

Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) is a mushroom that has been utilized in alternative drug to anticipate cardiac disease, diabetes, arthritis, increased cholesterol, cancer, hepatitis and cancers. It contains β-glucan, which contributes to decreasing blood sugar in-vivo and acts against cancer. The extract of this mushroom exerts antioxidant action in-vivo. AbM contains agaritine that exerts antitumor effects against leukemic cells in vitro. This mushroom is also found to have immune-stimulatory function, tumor growth suppression, action against allergy, antiviral effects, antimicrobial function and immune modulatory effects. Researchers also studied its action in decreasing blood cholesterol. According to several studies, AbM containing (1→6)-β-D-glucan-exerts anti angiogenesis action. The purpose of this extensive review on the medicinal value of AbM mushroom was to highlight its significance and its traditional uses by scientific evidence to determine the effectiveness of the mushroom in various evidence-based uses. Google Scholar and PubMed search engines were used to browse articles from 1994-2019 on the therapeutic value of AbM. Initially, 74 articles were found related to the therapeutic value of AbM. After reviewing the available article, 42 were selected based on the medicinal uses of AbM. It was concluded that AbM possessed various bioactive compounds that are responsible for its therapeutic effects.

Review of Pharmacological Effects of Agaricus Blazei Murill and its Application in Dietotherapy

Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM) also known as Brazilian mushroom, originated in Brazil and Peru, is a kind of edible and medicinal fungus. It is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, distributed in heart, lung, liver and kidney channels. It has high nutritional value and medical efficacy and is rich in protein, polysaccharides, vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fatty acids. Its pharmacological ingredients mainly include nucleic acid, exogenous lectin, sterols, fatty acids and polysaccharides. It also has the effect of anti-cancer, anti-tumor, immune regulation, anti-inflammatory activity, protection of liver and kidney, treatment of diabetes, antioxidant activity, anti-fatigue effect, prevention and treatment of leukemia, asthma, and radiation injury. It can strengthen health and promote hematopoiesis. With the improvement of people’s living standards and the advancement of science and technology, many diseases already have better treatments and the average life expectancy is greatly extended. With the development of food industry, medicine and other related industries, some foods with unique medicinal effects and values such as glossy ganoderma, cordyceps sinensis and Agaricus blazei Murill have been re-recognized and used. The use of these pharmacological foods for disease prevention and treatment has become a trend. For example, the nutrients of relevant foods are extracted to make health-care products and patients are given corresponding solution to assist their treatments. Some progress has been made in realizing the pharmacological effects and dietary applications of Agaricus blazei Murill. This paper will analyze and summarize the results of current researches of pharmacological effect and application in dietotherapy of Agaricus blazei Murill, which is helpful to improve people’s understanding of its medicinal effects and to provide rich experience in dietary therapy and experimental basis. With the further research on the pharmacological effects of Agaricus blazei Murill, it will be more widely used in food therapy.