Effect of Lentinus edodes polysaccharide on oxidative stress, immunity activity and oral ulceration of rats stimulated by phenol

Oral ulceration in 30 rats was induced by phenol. Rats were randomly divided into the following three experimental groups (each group contained 10 rats): group 1, untreated oral ulceration rats (control group); group 2, polysaccharides-treated oral ulceration rats (low-dose polysaccharides group): group 3, polysaccharides-treated oral ulceration rats (high-dose polysaccharides group). Low-dose and high-dose groups were treated with 0.3 ml of polysaccharides solution by orally. Control group were treated with the same volume of physiological saline. The treatments lasted for 18 days. Then, sera and oral mucosa from ten rats with oral ulceration, and 20 rats with Lentinus edodes polysaccharide (LEP) treatment were analysed. The results showed that LEP administration significantly raised activities of serum antioxidant enzymes and decreased levels of serum, mucosal interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in rats with oral ulceration. These results suggest that LEP may play a part in ameliorating oral ulceration. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.