Homocysteinemia is associated with cardiovascular and neuronal degenerative diseases. Deficiencies of the
B vitamins lead to high
homocysteine serum levels. Lentinus edodes (L. edodes) is also known as the Shiitake mushroom and may have beneficial effects on vascular and
lipid metabolic diseases, including
hypertension,
homocysteinemia and
lipidemia. In this study, we induced a
homocysteinemia-like condition in mice by the administration of a
folate- and
vitamin B12-deficient diet and evaluated the effect of L. edodes on the
homocysteinemia-like condition.
Homocysteinemia was induced by the administration of a diet deficient in
folate and
vitamin B12 (DFV) for 6 weeks to mice aged 4-10 weeks. The homocysteinemic mice were treated with L. edodes flour (5, 10 and 20%),
eritadenine (10 mg/kg) or DFV only (negative control) for 2 weeks. The DFV induced a significant increase in serum
homocysteine levels. The increased
homocysteine serum levels were reduced by
eritadenine and L. edodes flour (5, 10 and 20%). Hepatic levels of S-adenosyl-L-
homocysteine hydrolase (SAH) were significantly higher under DFV administration and the elevated SAH levels were reduced by treatment with L. edodes in a dose-dependent manner. The
mRNA expression levels of
DNA methyl
transferases, DNMT1 and DNMT3a, were reduced in the DFV group, and the reduced levels of DNMT1 and DNMT3a
mRNA expression were recovered in the
eritadenine and L. edodes (5, 10 and 20%) groups. These results suggest that components of L. edodes, including
eritadenine may have beneficial effects on
hyperhomocysteinemia and its
therapeutic effects may be involved in the regulation of DNA methylation-related genes in mice.