Antidiabetic effect of polysaccharides from Pleurotus ostreatus in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of total polysaccharides extracted from Pleurotus ostreatus on type 2 diabetes. Rats were administered with high-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes. The rats were then treated with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/d POP or vehicle for 4 weeks. Our experiments indicated that POP reduces hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia levels, improves insulin resistance, and increases glycogen storage by activating GSK3 phosphorylation and GLUT4 translocation. Moreover, POP reduces the risk of oxidative damage by increasing superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase(CAT), and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) activities and decreasing malonaldehyde(MDA) level. These results suggest that POP exerts antidiabetic effect on STZ-induced diabetic rats.