Search

Background: Phellinus fastuosusis a wood-eating medicinal fungus from Western Ghats of India. Therefore, we investigated hypoglycemic and hepatoprotective effects of P. fastuosusaqueous extract on streptozotocin-induced diabetic and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatotoxicity in rats, respectively. Result: As compared to the diabetic control group, a 400 mg/kg dose had significant hypoglycemic effects, including a reduction in blood glucose (24.44%) and gain in body weight. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity reduced by 31.81% and 32.84%, respectively, were also noted, along with decreases in triglycerides (24.32%) and cholesterol (25.89%) levels. The albumin, bilirubin and creatinine levels were also significantly reduced after administration of P. fastuosusextract in diabetic rats. Administration of P. fastuosusextract showed a substantial decrease in the activity of ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in addition a decrease in the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) as compared to CCl4-intoxicated rats. The cumulative effect of CCl4increased the erythrocyte membrane peroxidation, whereas P. fastuosusextract reduced the cholesterol and increased phospholipid, thus preventing the alteration of membrane fluidity as compared to CCl4-intoxicated rats. FTIR and HR-LC-MS-based metabolic profiling revealed the presence of various functional groups and bioactive metabolites. Conclusion: The extract showed the hypoglycemic and hepatoprotective effects due to the presence of various bioactive metabolites. Exploration of therapeutic potential of P. fastuosususing bioassay-guided fractionation is needed.