Antioxidant and immunostimulatory activities of polysaccharides extracted from Tremella aurantialba mycelia
Deng C, Sun Y, Fu H, Zhang S, Chen J, Xu X. · Molecular Medicine Reports · 2016 October 4
DOI 10.3892/mmr.2016.5794
Objective
In the present study, the physiochemical and biological properties of crude mycelium polysaccharide (CMCP) and purified mycelium polysaccharide (MCP) extracted from the Tremella aurantialba mycelium were investigated.
Conclusions
Compared with CMCP, MCP demonstrated improved antioxidant properties. In addition, MCP induced RAW264.7 macrophage proliferation, NO production and secretion of tumor necrosis factor‑α, interleukin (IL)‑1 and IL‑6. These findings suggest that the total carbohydrate content may contribute to the improvement of antioxidant and immunostimulatory activities of MCP.
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Insights
Purified polysaccharides extracted from Tremella aurantialba mycelium have improved antioxidant properties and stimulate immune response in macrophage cells.
The study researched the physiochemical and biological properties of crude and purified mycelium polysaccharides from Tremella aurantialba mycelium. A series of physiochemical properties were examined including total sugar, uronic acid and protein content, monosaccharide type and structure, as well as molecular weight. The antioxidant activity of these polysaccharides was studied via their reducing power and scavenging activity of different radicals. Additionally, the study evaluated the potential immunostimulatory activity of these polysaccharides by examining their effects on the proliferation, nitric oxide production and cytokine secretion of a certain type of cell.
In the results, it was found that the purified mycelium polysaccharide consisted mainly of three types of sugars and its molecular weight was determined. Comparing the total carbohydrate content, it was discovered that the purified mycelium polysaccharide has significantly higher carbohydrate content compared to its crude counterpart. From the analysis of antioxidant and immunostimulatory activities, the purified polysaccharide showed improved antioxidant properties and the ability to induce macrophage proliferation, nitric oxide production and secretion of several chemicals involved in immune response. This indicates a possible correlation between the total carbohydrate content and the enhanced antioxidant and immunostimulatory activities.