Antioxidant Activity and Hepatoprotective Effect of Exopolysaccharides From Cultivated Ophiocordyceps Sinensis Against CCl4-Induced Liver Damages

Cordyceps is a well-known and valuable fungal Chinese medicine and health food. The polysaccharides from C. sinensis have been reported as the main bioactive components, which possess antioxidant, anti-aging, and liver protective activities. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro antioxidative and protective effects of exopolysaccharides (EPS) from cultivated Ophiocordyceps sinensis (O. sinensis) on rats with liver damage induced by CCl4. The results indicated that cultivated O. sinensis EPS possess moderate ABTS and hydroxyl radical scavenging abilities with IC50 values of 2.00 and 3.78 mg/mL, respectively. EPS and the positive control (silymarin) could also protect rat liver from the oxidative effect induced by CCl4 via increasing GSH levels, reducing MAD levels and decreasing serum AST and ALT activities. Moreover, the changes in histopathological liver tissue showed that EPS significantly reduced the damage induced by CCl4 in the liver. The findings suggest that EPS possesses a significant hepatoprotective effect against hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 in rats.