Effects of crude extracts of Agaricus blazei on DNA damage and on rat liver carcinogenesis induced by diethylnitrosamine

The effects of crude extracts of the mushroom Agaricus blacei Murril (Agaricaceae) on both DNA damage and placental from glutathione S-Transderase (GST-P)-positive liver foci induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) were investigated. Six groups of adult male Wistar rats were used. For two weeks, animals of groups 3 to 6 were treated with three aqueous solutions of A. blazei (mean dry weight of solids being 1.2, 5.6, 11.5 mg/ml, respectively). After this perios, groups 2 to 5 were given a single ip injection 200 mk/kg DEN and groups 1 and 6 were treated with 0.9% NaCl. All animals were subjected to 70% partial hepatectomy at week five and sacrificed 4,24 and 48 h or 8 weeks after DEN or 0.9% NaCl treatments (10th week after the beginning of the experiment). The alkaline comet assay and GST-P-positive liver foci development were used to evaluate the influence of the mushrooms extract on liver cell DNA damage and on the initiation of liver carcinogenesis, respectively. Previous treatment with highest concentration of A.blazei (11.5 mg/ml) significantly reduced DNS damage, indicating a protective effect against DEN-induced liver cytotoxicity/genotoxicity. However, the same dose of mushroom extract significantly increased the number of GST-P-positive liver foci.

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