School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mukogawa Women's University, 11-68 Koshien Kyuban-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8179, Japan.
J Nat Med. 2011 Jan;65(1):135-41. doi: 10.1007/s11418-010-0475-9. Epub 2010 Nov 13.
Sparassis crispa (S. crispa) is a mushroom used as a natural medicine that recently became cultivatable in Japan. In this study, we investigated not only the preventive effects of S. crispa against stroke and hypertension in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) but also the mechanism involved by using studies of the cerebral cortex at a young age. Six-week-old male SHRSP were divided into 2 groups, a control group and an S. crispa group administered 1.5% S. crispa in feed, and we then observed their survival. In addition, rats of the same age were treated with 1.5% S. crispa for 4 weeks and we measured body weight, blood pressure, blood flow from the tail, NO(x) production, and the levels of expression of several proteins in the cerebral cortex by western blot analysis. Our results showed that the S. crispa group had a delayed incidence of stroke and death and significantly decreased blood pressure and increased blood flow after the administration. Moreover, the quantity of urinary excretion and the nitrate/nitrite concentration in cerebral tissue were higher than those of control SHRSP rats. In the cerebral cortex, phosphor-eNOS (Ser1177) and phosphor-Akt (Ser473) in S. crispa-treated SHRSP were increased compared with those of control SHRSP rats. In conclusion, S. crispa could ameliorate cerebrovascular endothelial dysfunction by promoting recovery of Akt-dependent eNOS phosphorylation and increasing NO production in the cerebral cortex. S. crispa may be useful for preventing stroke and hypertension.
裂褶菌（Sparassis crispa）是一种被用作天然药物的蘑菇，最近在日本已实现人工栽培。本研究不仅调查了裂褶菌对易发生中风的自发性高血压大鼠（SHRSP）中风和高血压的预防作用，还通过对幼年大脑皮质的研究探讨了其作用机制。将 6 周龄雄性 SHRSP 分为对照组和裂褶菌组（饲料中添加 1.5%裂褶菌），观察其生存情况。此外，将同龄大鼠用 1.5%裂褶菌处理 4 周，通过 Western blot 分析测量体重、血压、尾血流量、NO(x)产生量以及大脑皮质中几种蛋白质的表达水平。结果表明，裂褶菌组中风和死亡的发生率延迟，给药后血压显著降低，血流量增加。此外，裂褶菌处理的 SHRSP 大鼠的尿排泄量和脑组织硝酸盐/亚硝酸盐浓度高于对照组 SHRSP 大鼠。在大脑皮质中，裂褶菌处理的 SHRSP 大鼠的磷酸化内皮型一氧化氮合酶（Ser1177）和磷酸化 Akt（Ser473）均高于对照组 SHRSP 大鼠。综上所述，裂褶菌可通过促进 Akt 依赖性 eNOS 磷酸化的恢复和增加大脑皮质中 NO 的产生来改善脑血管内皮功能障碍。裂褶菌可能有助于预防中风和高血压。
