Attenuation of Scopolamine‐Induced Learning and Memory Impairment by Ceriporia lacerata Mycelial Culture in C57BL/6 Mouse Model

Ceriporia lacerata (provided from FUGENBIO Co., Ltd., Seoul, S. Korea) is one of white‐rot fungi. The submerged culture and its extract of the fungal mycelia have been reported to contain various bioactive substances, including extracellular polysaccharide and β‐glucan, and to exert the anti‐diabetic effect in mice. Our in vitro study showed that the ethanol extract of C. lacerata mycelial culture powder protected HT22 mouse hippocampal neuronal cells from glutamate‐induced cytotoxicity. The present study aimed at examining whether oral supplementation of the cultured C. lacerata mycelia assists the restoration of learning and memory capability diminished by scopolamine injection in C57BL/6 mice. Results exhibited that the treatment with C. lacerata mycelial culture powder (□) improved spatial learning and memory impairment in scopolamine‐injected mice as tested by behavioral tests (Y‐maze task, Passive avoidance task, and Morris water maze task), (□) reduced histological damage in the hippocampal CA1 region, (□) increased the expression level of cytoplasmic heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) in hippocampal tissue homogenates, and (□) decreased the levels of oxidative stress markers in the plasma, in comparison to mice treated with scopolamine alone. These findings suggest that oral supplementation of C. lacerata mycelial culture powder could prevent scopolamine‐induced learning and memory deficit possibly by protecting hippocampal damage from oxidative stress. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by the “Food Functionality Evaluation Program” with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (2019).