Advances in antitumor polysaccharides fromphellinussensu lato: Production, isolation, structure, antitumor activity, and mechanisms

Abstract

Edible and medicinal fungi (mushrooms) are widely applied to functional foods and nutraceutical products because of their proven nutritive and medicinal properties. Phellinus sensu lato is a well-known medicinal mushroom that has long been used in preventing ailments, including gastroenteric dysfunction, diarrhea, hemorrhage, and cancers, in oriental countries, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea. Polysaccharides represent a major class of bioactive molecules in Phellinus s. l., which have notable antitumor, immunomodulatory, and medicinal properties. Polysaccharides that were isolated from fruiting bodies, cultured mycelia, and filtrates of Phellinus s. l. have not only activated different immune responses of the host organism but have also directly suppressed tumor growth and metastasis. Studies suggest that polysaccharides from Phellinus s. l. are promising alternative anticancer agents or synergizers for existing antitumor drugs. This review summarizes the recent development of polysaccharides from Phellinus s. l., including polysaccharide production, extraction and isolation methods, chemical structure, antitumor activities, and mechanisms of action.

Structural characterization and determination of biological activities for different polysaccharides extracted from tree mushroom species

“…However, hot water extraction is a process that takes a long time and requires high temperature, leading to a waste of energy and decomposition of polysaccharides. In order to increase the efficiency of the polysaccharides, some additional methods such as acidic solution, dilute alkaline solution, freeze–thaw method, ultrasound, microwave, ultrahigh pressure, and enzymatic methods are also used to obtain the mushroom polysaccharides (Yan et al, ). Considering previous studies, in order to extract pure and reliable polysaccharides from mushrooms, the method of precipitation with ethanol was preferred.…”

“…Up to this time, lectins, polysaccharides, terpenoids, sterols, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids have been isolated from mushrooms (Ajith & Janardhanan, ; Lindequist, Niedermeyer, & Julich, ; Öztürk, Tel‐Cayan, Muhammad, Terzioglu, & Duru, ; Wasser & Weis, ). Among these biomolecules, polysaccharides are widely used in various biomedical applications and functional foods due to their important and powerful biological benefits such as immunostimulatory, antitumor, and antioxidant activities (Yan, Pei, Ma, Wang, & Liu, ). Mushrooms contain a different type of polysaccharides such as α‐ and β‐glucans, hemicellulose, chitin, xylans, galactans, and mannans.…”

“…Mushrooms contain a different type of polysaccharides such as α‐ and β‐glucans, hemicellulose, chitin, xylans, galactans, and mannans. Considering its potent antitumor and immunomodulatory activities; glucans, polysaccharide–protein and polysaccharide–peptide complexes obtained from mushrooms (Lentinan from Lentinus edodes , Krestin from Trametes versicolor, Schizophyllan from Schizophyllum commune , polysaccharide fraction, and MD‐fraction from Grifola frondosa ) are used in clinical applications for immunotherapy and cancer treatments (Boh & Berovic, ; Cui, ; Singdevsachan et al, ; Xu, Yan, Tang, Chen, & Zhang, ; Yan et al, ).…”

Mushroom Polysaccharides: Chemistry and Antiobesity, Antidiabetes, Anticancer, and Antibiotic Properties in Cells, Rodents, and Humans

“…The transformation produced 32% to 131% higher yield of β-glucans than the wild type; (b) Ji, et al [ 68 ] improved polysaccharide production by engineering the biosynthetic pathway in Ganoderma lucidum through the overexpression of the homologous UDP glucose phosphoglucomutase gene. The intracellular and extracellular polysaccharides were higher by 42% and 36% than those of the wild type strain; (c) Meng, et al [ 69 ] used the expression of the Viteoscilla hemoglobin gene to increase the production of both extracellular and intracellular polysaccharides in Ganoderma lucidum by 30.5% and 88.2%, respectively; and (d) UDP-glucose phosphorylase seems to be a key enzyme that is involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis [ 70 ], suggesting that amplification of the genes that govern the formation of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of polysaccharides might induce the formation of high-polysaccharide mushrooms [ 71 ]. These pioneering studies demonstrate the potential of gene manipulation to enhance the production of polysaccharides.…”

“…It is also noteworthy that daily consumption of Lentinula edodes improved immunity in healthy young adults and that oral consumption of soluble β-glucans was safe in elderly healthy adults and seemed to induce an increase in the number of circulating β-cells [ 191 ]. Relevant studies by Meng, et al [ 69 ] and Yan, et al [ 70 ] discuss in detail the relationship between structural features of mushroom polysaccharides and antitumor properties Schwartz and Hadar [ 206 ] discuss possible mechanisms of action of orally administered (but poorly bioavailable) mushroom β-glucans against human cancer associated with inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting the need for clinical evidence on the beneficial anticarcinogenic activities of mushrooms and their polysaccharides in humans [ 212 ].…”