The Effect of the Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes) Administration on the Functional State of Erythrocytes in Rats with Experimental Metabolic Syndrome

The research examined how the extract of Ganoderma lucidum mushroom mycelium affects the functional state of erythrocytes in rats with fructose-induced metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS was induced by a high-carbohydrate diet: for 42 d, the animals consumed a 10% fructose solution instead of drinking water. Following the induction of MetS, the rats were treated with G. lucidum mycelium extract for 14 d at a dose of 1 g/kg of body weight. It was found that administration of the extract to animals with MetS resulted in a gradual reduction in body weight and a 13.2% decrease in blood plasma glucose levels. Additionally, the extract normalized erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, and both the number and daily production of reticulocytes. It also reduced lactate concentration and lactate dehydrogenase activity in blood plasma, increased the resistance of erythrocyte membranes to acid hemolysis, and decreased hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen. Treatment with the extract led to a 41.8% decrease in fetal hemoglobin content and a 17.0% reduction in plasma sialic acid concentration, while also normalizing its level in erythrocytes. These findings indicate a corrective effect of the G. lucidum mycelium extract on the functional state of erythrocytes.