Honey Mushroom, Armillaria mellea (Agaricomycetes) and Its Fermentation Products Target Regulation of OAT1/OAT3 Proteins to Reduce Hyperuricemia in Mice

Background: Disorders of purine metabolism are the main cause of hyperuricemia. Current drugs for the treatment of hyperuricemia usually cause a degree of cardiovascular damage. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Armillaria mellea fruiting body (AFB), Armillaria rhizomorph (AR) and Armillaria mellea fermentation product (after rhizomorphs removal) (AFP) on hyperuricemic mice. The hyperuricemia mouse model was established by oral administration of potassium oxonate 0.9 g center dot kg-1 and hypoxanthine 0.5 g center dot kg-1 for two weeks. Starting from the third week, the intragastric administration of the intervention drug group was as follows: Allopurinol 0.013 g center dot kg-1, AFB (3.9 and 7.8 g center dot kg-1), AR (3.9 and 7.8 g center dot kg-1), AFP (1.95 and 3.9 g center dot kg-1) once daily for 14 days. Results: Results showed that AFB, AR, and AFP reduced the contents of serum uric acid, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen in hyperuricemic mice and the mechanism of action might be through up-regulation of the expression levels of organic anion transporter 1/organic anion transporter 3 proteins in kidney tissue. AR and AFP both exhibited better uric acid-lowering effects than AFB, which may be due to the higher purine content of AFB. Conclusions: Armillaria mellea and its fermentation products can treat hyperuricemia by up-regulating OAT1 protein and OAT3 protein, reducing uric acid content in mice.