The mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus reduces secretion and accelerates the fractional turnover rate of very-low-density lipoproteins in the rat.

In male rats fed a diet containing 1.5% cholesterol and 5% of dried mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) a significantly reduced accumulation of cholesterol in serum (by 45%) and the liver (by 15%) was observed at the end of the 12th week of the experiment. The decrease in serum cholesterol level by more than 90% is a consequence of the decreased cholesterol concentration of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and of low-density lipoproteins. Consumption of P. ostreatus reduces the total VLDL entry into the circulation by 19% and accelerates (by 49%) fractional turnover rate of VLDL.