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 gkg and hypoxanthine 0.5 gkg for
two weeks. Starting from the third week, the intragastric administration of the
intervention drug group was as follows: Allopurinol 0.013 gkg,
AFB (3.9 and 7.8 gkg), AR (3.9 and 7.8 gkg),
AFP (1.95 and 3.9 gkg) 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.