Keung Hoi Yee. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-174). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgement --- p.I / Abstract --- p.II / 摘要 --- p.V / Content --- p.VII / List of tables --- p.XIII / List of figures --- p.XIV / Abbreviations --- p.XVII / Chapter Chapter 1 --- General Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Biology of Pleurotus tuber-regiun (Ptr) --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Ptr grown in the wild --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Cultivation of Ptr --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Functional food and pharmaceutical application of Ptr sclerotium --- p.3 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Traditional food and medicinal uses of Ptr sclerotium --- p.3 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Nutritional value and chemical composition --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Anti-tumor activity --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Anti-viral activity --- p.8 / Chapter 1.2.5 --- Immunologic function --- p.8 / Chapter 1.2.6 --- Pharmaceutical application --- p.9 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Toxicological evaluation on Ptr sclerotium --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Toxicological concern of Ptr sclerotium --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Toxicological study --- p.12 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Biochemical methods for toxicological evaluation --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.3.1 --- Serum enzyme activities --- p.15 / Chapter 2.1.3.2 --- Other serum analytes --- p.17 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Histopathological study --- p.20 / Chapter 2.1.5 --- Acute toxicity --- p.21 / Chapter 2.1.6 --- Sub-acute and sub-chronic toxicity --- p.23 / Chapter 2.1.7 --- Objectives --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Sample materials and chemicals --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Acute toxicity test --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.2.1 --- Diet and animals --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.2.2 --- Experimental design --- p.28 / Chapter 2.2.2.3 --- Calculation of sclerotium intake dose --- p.29 / Chapter 2.2.2.4 --- Biochemical assays --- p.30 / Chapter 2.2.2.5 --- Histopathological examination --- p.31 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Sub-acute and sub-chronic toxicity tests --- p.32 / Chapter 2.2.3.1 --- Diet Preparation --- p.32 / Chapter 2.2.3.2 --- Experimental design --- p.32 / Chapter 2.2.3.3 --- Biochemical assays --- p.36 / Chapter 2.2.3.4 --- Organ weight --- p.40 / Chapter 2.2.3.5 --- Histopathological examination --- p.41 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Statistical analyses --- p.41 / Chapter 2.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.42 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Acute toxicity test --- p.42 / Chapter 2.3.1.1 --- Food consumption --- p.43 / Chapter 2.3.1.2 --- Serum transaminase activities --- p.44 / Chapter 2.3.1.3 --- Histopathology --- p.45 / Chapter 2.3.1.4 --- NOAEL --- p.45 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Sub-acute toxicity test --- p.50 / Chapter 2.3.2.1 --- Body weight gain --- p.50 / Chapter 2.3.2.2 --- Biochemical assays --- p.51 / Chapter 2.3.2.3 --- Organ per body weight and histopathology --- p.52 / Chapter 2.3.2.4 --- Effects of Ptr sclerotial diets --- p.53 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Sub-chronic toxicity test --- p.59 / Chapter 2.3.3.1 --- Food and energy consumption --- p.59 / Chapter 2.3.3.2 --- Biochemical assays --- p.63 / Chapter 2.3.3.3 --- Organ per body weight --- p.67 / Chapter 2.3.3.4 --- Body weight increase --- p.75 / Chapter 2.3.3.5 --- NOAEL --- p.80 / Chapter 2.4 --- Summary --- p.81 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Hepatoprotection of Ptr sclerotium --- p.82 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.82 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Hepatotoxicity --- p.82 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Potential hepatoprotection effect of Ptr sclerotium --- p.83 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Toxicity of CC14 --- p.85 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Toxicity of AFB! --- p.89 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- Bioactivity of chlorophyllin --- p.92 / Chapter 3.1.6 --- Comet assay --- p.93 / Chapter 3.1.7 --- Objectives --- p.98 / Chapter 3.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.99 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Sample materials and chemicals --- p.99 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Curative and preventive tests of Ptr sclerotium against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity --- p.99 / Chapter 3.2.2.1 --- Animal and diets --- p.99 / Chapter 3.2.2.2 --- Dose-response of CCl4 on rat model --- p.100 / Chapter 3.2.2.3 --- Biochemical assays --- p.100 / Chapter 3.2.2.4 --- Curative hepatoprotection test on Ptr --- p.101 / Chapter 3.2.2.5 --- Preventive hepatoprotection test on Ptr --- p.101 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Preventive tests of Ptr sclerotium against AFB1-induced hepato- and geno-toxicity --- p.103 / Chapter 3.2.3.1 --- Dose-response of AFB1 on rat model --- p.103 / Chapter 3.2.3.2 --- Preventive test of Ptr against AFB1 --- p.103 / Chapter 3.2.3.3 --- Biochemical assays --- p.105 / Chapter 3.2.3.4 --- Histopathological examination --- p.105 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Comet assay --- p.106 / Chapter 3.2.4.1 --- Reagent preparations --- p.106 / Chapter 3.2.4.2 --- Procedures --- p.107 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- Statistical analyses --- p.110 / Chapter 3.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.111 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Curative and preventive tests of Ptr sclerotium against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity --- p.112 / Chapter 3.3.1.1 --- Dose-response of CCl4 on rat model --- p.112 / Chapter 3.3.1.2 --- Curative test of Ptr sclerotium against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity --- p.116 / Chapter 3.3.1.3 --- Preventive test of Ptr sclerotium against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity --- p.121 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Preventive tests of Ptr sclerotium against AFB1-induced hepato- and geno-toxicity --- p.126 / Chapter 3.3.2.1 --- Dose-response of AFB1 on rat model --- p.126 / Chapter 3.3.2.2 --- Preventive test of Ptr sclerotium against AFB1-induced geno- and hepatotoxicity --- p.134 / Chapter 3.3.2.3 --- CHL versus 30% Ptr sclerotial diet --- p.137 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- A comparison of the hepatotoxicity of CC14 and AFB1 --- p.142 / Chapter 3.4 --- Summary --- p.147 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Conclusions and future work --- p.148 / References --- p.151 / Related publication --- p.175