Mushroom polysaccharide

Fullerton, S.A. et al.. Induction of apoptosis in human prostatic cancer cells with P-glucan (maitake mushroom polysaccharide), A/o/. Urol, 4, 7-11,2000. 

Therefore, the well-established concept of inununoediting demonstrates that the weak immune system of the host is one of the key factors responsible for the formation of cancer. Hence, keeping the inunune system healthy is the best way to initiate timely productimi of appropriate chemokines and cytokines that recognize and destroy cancer cells [55]. In this context, immunomodulatory plant/mushroom polysaccharides have immense importance for the prevention and cure of cancer. 

Some mushroom polysaccharides or complexes of polysaccharide and proteins can stimulate nonspecific immunity and boost the host s defenses against tumors. Medicinal mushrooms have their history as immunostimulatory and immunomodulating therapeutics in the management of tumor, viral, and bacterial diseases but little is known on dietary intakes of commonly consumed mushrooms in association with... 

Mushrooms have been consumed as flavorful and medicinal foods for millenniums. Mushroom polysaccharides possess antitumor activity through the stimulation of cytokine productions from immunocytes. On the other hand, lipopolysaccharide suppresses the expression of various hepatic cytochrome P450s (CYPs) through the production of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a. In this study, lentinan prepared from Lentinus edodes and polysaccharides from Agaricus blazei (ABPS) were intraperitoneally injected to female BALB/c mice, and the effects of these polysaccharides on the expression of CYPs were investigated in the liver. Both polysaccharides down-regulated the activity and level of constitutive and 3-methylcholanthrene-inducible CYPIA accompanied by the TNF-a production. When... 

Lentinan and ABPS stimulate the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and nitric oxide (NO) from macrophages 9-10), NO is known as a bioregulatory agent in a wide variety of biological functions such as control of blood pressure, platelet aggregation, cytotoxicity of macrophages, and carcinogenesis 11-13), Thus, NO is likely to be associated with the antitumor activity of the mushroom polysaccharides. 

Intraperitoneal Injection of Mushroom Polysaccharides Suppressive Effects of Lentinan and ABPS on CYPs... 

Regarding the ECOD activity, polysaccharides did not affect the constitutive activity, but ABPS and LPS suppressed the MC-induced activity (Figure 2B). In the case of the EROD activity, all of polysaccharides down-regulated both the constitutive and MC-induced activities (Figure 2C). These results suggest that lentinan and ABPS decreased both the constitutive and the MC-induced CYPIA activities. In addition, lentinan and ABPS partially reduced the MC-induced total CYPs but not the constitutive ones, while LPS drastically reduced the content of CYPs. Thus, the suppressive mechanism of the expression and the activity of CYPs by mushroom polysaccharides are different from that by LPS. 

Mushroom Polysaccharides Stimulate The Production of TNF-a in Peritoneal Macrophages Ex Vivo... 

Pleurotus sajor-caju utilizes polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicelluloses) from various agricultural residues to produce mushrooms for human consumption throughout the world (5). It is also known to degrade lignin (6,7). 

Pleurotus sajor-caju was selected in the present study for the utilization of polysaccharides from corn stalks for production of protein-rich mycelial biomass in submerged fermentation rather than for production of mushrooms (fruiting bodies). Production of mycelial biomass of various mushrooms including morels in submerged cultural conditions is another way to use them as food, food additives or mushroom flavor agents (8,9). 

Mizuno TA, Development of antitumor polysaccharides from mushroom fungi, Food dr Food Ingred J 67- 3- 5, 1996. 

Ng, T. B. 1998. A review of research on the protein-bound polysaccharide (polysaccharopeptide, PSP) from the mushroom Coriolus versicolor (Basidiomycetes Poly-poraceae). Gen. Pharmacol. 30 1-4. 

Lentinus edodes (shiitake) is an edible mushroom that contains a polysaccharide, lentinan. Its use is occasionally associated with skin reactions (1,2). 

Grifola fungus (Grifola frondosa) is also known as maitake and hen of the woods. A potent immune amphoteric, it is being clinically tested for use with advanced prostate and breast cancer. A rich source of immune-potentiating high-molecular-weight polysaccharides, this medicinal mushroom shows promise for prevention of carcinomas as well as for treatment. 

The other bioactive polysaccharide that seemed interesting to be used to produce surface-modified nanoparticles reducing their recognition by the host defense was heparin. Heparin is used as a drug for its anticoagulation properties. Additionally, it is an inhibitor of the complement activation phenomenon [116-118]. It was demonstrated that heparin-coated nanoparticles did not activate the complement system [19, 31, 32] and remained in the blood stream for a longer time compared with nanoparticles, which do not show heparin on the nanoparticle surface [89], Other polysaccharides extracted from mushrooms were found to inhibit the activation process of the complement. They could be alternative polysaccharides to produce nanoparticles with a reduced capacity to activate the complement, such as heparin [119],... 

Chitosan is not widely present as such in nature and thus cannot be directly extracted from natural resources. Indeed, chitosan is a derivative of natural chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature after cellulose [2]. Typically, chitosan is obtained by deacetylation of the Ai-acetyl glucosamine units of chitin, generally by hydrolysis under alkali conditions at high temperature. The deacetylation of chitin is rarely complete. When the degree of acetylation falls below the value of 60 mol%, chitin becomes chitosan. In nature, chitin is present in life forms and more particularly in insects and crustaceans where it represents the major component of their exoskeleton. Chitin is also present in the cell wall of some mushrooms [7, 8]. Generally, chitosans produced from mushrooms present a narrow molecular weight distribution compared to chitosan produced from shrimps, and a non-animal source is considered to be safer for biomedical and healthcare uses. 

Today, many mushrooms, in addition to maitake, are being recognized for their important health benefits. This is primarily because they are an excellent source of beta-glucan polysaccharide compounds that promote well-being. Beta-glucans (also known as beta-... 

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