A newly identified polysaccharide from Ganoderma atrum attenuates hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia.

A polysaccharide from Ganoderma atrum (PSG-1) was purified and characterized, and its hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects were investigated in high fat diet- and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats. Oral administration of PSG-1 at 200 or 400 mg/kg body weight significantly reduced fasting blood glucose and serum insulin levels. PSG-1 significantly decreased the levels of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, free fatty acid and insulin resistance, and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and insulin sensitivity. In addition, PSG-1 inhibited the expression of pro-apoptotic protein, Bax and increased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2 in pancreatic cells, suggesting that PSG-1 exerted a protective role in the pancreas of diabetic rats. These results indicated that PSG-1 may have a potential for the treatment of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.