OYSTER MUSHROOM (PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS) ETHANOLIC EXTRACT PROTECTS YEAST CELLS FROM HYPER- AND HYPO-GLYCEMIC STRESS

Abstract

Glucose is the primary source of carbon and energy. Cells possess a sophisticated mechanism for sensing glucose and responding to it appropriately. However, hyperglycemia represents the predominant risk factor for the development of diabetes. On the other hand, nutrient starvation, including glucose, may lead to the development of malnutrition. Noteworthy, glucose restriction has been associated with significantly delayed aging. Thus, controlled glucose intake is vital for healthy living. The presented study shows the effect of the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus ethanolic extract on fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe undergoing glucose-derived stress. Fruiting bodies of P. ostreatus were used for ethanolic extraction and its anti-hyper- and hypo-glycemic stress activity was investigated. Compared were cells treated with ethanolic extract of P. ostreatus (1 or 2%) with untreated control. Different glucose concentrations in growth media were used to analyze its impact on growth intensity, generation time (gt), metabolic activity, ROS generation, MDA content, and cell death and apoptosis of S. pombe cells. Glucose deprivation or its over-supplementation resulted in growth retardation and prolonged cell doubling time (gt) which was significantly adjusted by the oyster mushroom extract. Interestingly, oyster mushroom extract reduced excessive ROS and formed MDA that were produced as a consequence of glycemic stress. Unexpectedly, the extract was able to increase the metabolic activity of cells supplemented with high glucose content and thereby protected them from death. Taken together, our study suggests that growth media supplementation with the ethanolic extract of P. ostreatus protects S. pombe cells from glucose-mediated stress through alleviation of oxidative stress and enhancement of metabolic activity.