Caterpillar medicinal mushroom, cordyceps militaris (Ascomycetes), mycelia attenuates doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress and upregulates krebs cycle dehydrogenases activity and atp level in rat brain

Ravindran K. Veena, Eluvathingal Joy Carmel, Haridas Ramya, Thekkuttuparambil A. Ajith, Solomon P. Wasser, Kainoor K. Janardhanan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Post-chemotherapy-induced cognitive dysfunction remains one of the challenges in cancer survivors. Cytokine-induced neurotoxicity manifests in subjects at any time after doxorubicin (DOX) chemotherapy. We examined the effect of bioactive Cordyceps militaris mycelia extract (CM) on the energy status, oxidative stress, and acetylcholin-esterase activity in the brain of DOX treated rats. The CM (150 and 300 mg/kg b.w.) and DL-α lipoic acid (LA, 100 mg/ kg b.w) were administered orally once daily for 5 days to male Wistar rats prior to the DOX administration (18 mg/kg as 3 doses of 6 mg/kg, i.p. b.w.) and continued for 6 more days. Cellular antioxidant status, Krebs cycle dehydrogenases, electron transport chain complexes (ETC) (I, III, and IV), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level, advanced oxidation of protein products (AOPP), and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activities were determined in the brain homogenate. The DOX alone treated group of animals showed significant decrease (p < 0.05) of brain antioxidant levels, Krebs cycle dehydrogenases activities, ETC complex activities, and decreased ATP level, while lipid peroxidation and AOPP levels were elevated. CM at 300 mg/kg b.w. or LA at 100 mg/kg b.w. elevated antioxidant status, Krebs cycle dehydrogenases, and complex activities and thus alleviated the toxicity. CM also inhibited the AchE activity in brain. The experimental results thus reveal that CM possessed excellent capacity to attenuate oxidative stress, upregulate respiratory chain complex activity and ATP levels, as well as inhibition of AchE activity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)593-604
Number of pages12
JournalInternational Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms
Volume22
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Begell House Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Adenosine triphosphate
  • Chemo brain
  • Cordyceps militaris
  • Dementia
  • Doxorubicin
  • Medicinal mushrooms
  • Oxidative stress

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Discovery

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