Dietary Pleurotus ostreatus supplementation is associated with selected hepatic and renal responses during lead exposure in Male Wistar Rats

Lead (Pb) is a pervasive environmental toxicant that accumulates in biological systems, causing severe hepatic and renal injury through oxidative stress. These effects have prompted interest in dietary components that may influence biological responses associated with Pb exposure. Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) contains phenolics, flavonoids, β-glucans, and polysaccharides, yet its protective effects against Pb-induced organ damage remain poorly understood. This study investigated associations between dietary P. ostreatus supplementation and selected hepatic and renal biochemical, redox-related, organ-weight and morphological responses in male Wistar rats during Pb exposure. Thirty-five rats (7-8 weeks old; 75.7±7.4 g) were randomly assigned to seven groups (n = 5). The control received standard feed; mushroom groups received 10% or 30% mushroom (MR) supplementation; co-treatment groups received 10ppm elemental Pb administered as lead nitrate in drinking water plus 10% or 30% mushroom; a Pb-only group received Pb in drinking water; and a reference-control (CPM) received cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneally). Treatments lasted 21 days with feed and water provided ad libitum . No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in absolute or relative liver and kidney weights in mushroom-treated and mushroom-plus-Pb groups while 30% MR animals were significantly different from the normal control. The 10% MR-group showed lower alkaline phosphatase-ALP and creatinine levels than the control and several other treatment groups, while alanine aminotransferase-ALT was lower than in the higher-mushroom dose and Pb-exposed groups but comparable to the control. However, the mushroom+Pb groups did not consistently normalize hepatic and renal oxidative-stress biochemical parameters toward control values. Histological examination showed relatively preserved hepatic architecture in the mushroom-treated and mushroom+Pb groups, although qualitative assessment was performed. Overall, these findings suggest that P. ostreatus , may modulate selected hepatic and renal responses to Pb exposure, although the mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be established. Overall, dietary P. ostreatus supplementation was associated with selected biochemical and morphological differences during Pb exposure; however, responses were heterogeneous across endpoints. Given the qualitative and limited histopathological assessment and the absence of feed- and water-intake measurements and diet-matched controls, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary treatment-associated responses rather than evidence of hepatorenal protection.