Ameliorating Effects of Water-Soluble Polysaccharides from Woody Ear (Auricularia auricula-judge Quel.) in Genetically Diabetic KK-A^y Mice

抄録

We investigated the ameliorating effects of the three groups of water-soluble polysaccharides, a mixture of crude polysaccharides (FA), acidic polysaccharide fractions (FA-A), and neutral polysaccharide fractions (FA-N), obtained from the hot water extracts of the fruit bodies of Auricularia auricula-judae Quel. in genetically diabetic KK-A^y mice from 6 to 11 weeks of age. Male mice were divided into five dietary groups: 1) control group, given a basal diet; 2) FA group, given an FA diet (15g FA/kg diet); 3) FA-A group, given an FA-A diet (8g FA-A/kg diet); 4) low FA-N group, given a low FA-N diet (2g FA-N/kg diet); and 5) high FA-N group, given a high FA-N diet (8g FA-N/kg diet). Compared with the control diet, FA supplementation had significant effects in lowering fasting and nonfasting blood glucose, HbA_1c, urinary glucose, food intake, and water intake. FA administration also improved glucose tolerance to intraperitoneal glucose loading, but it did not affect the nonfasting insulin level. FA-N supplementation had dose-dependent effects in lowering fasting and nonfasting blood glucose, insulin, HbA_1c, urinary glucose, food intake, and water intake. However, the glucose tolerance was not ame-liorated by either the low or the high FA-N diet. FA-A administration showed no beneficial effects in KK-A^y mice.