Antitumor activity of mushroom polysaccharides: a review

Abstract

Mushrooms were considered as a special delicacy by early civilizations and valued as a credible source of nutrients including considerable amounts of dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins (in particularly, vitamin D). Mushrooms are also recognized as functional foods for their bioactive compounds offer huge beneficial impacts on human health. One of those potent bioactives is β-glucan, comprising a backbone of glucose residues linked by β-(1→3)-glycosidic bonds with attached β-(1→6) branch points, which exhibits antitumor and immunostimulating properties. The commercial pharmaceutical products from this polysaccharide source, such as schizophyllan, lentinan, grifolan, PSP (polysaccharide-peptide complex) and PSK (polysaccharide-protein complex), have shown evident clinical results. The immunomodulating action of mushroom polysaccharides is to stimulate natural killer cells, T-cells, B-cells, neutrophils, and macrophage dependent immune system responses via differing receptors involving dectin-1, the toll-like receptor-2 (a class of proteins that play a role in the immune system), scavengers and lactosylceramides. β-Glucans with various structures present distinct affinities toward these receptors to trigger different host responses. Basically, their antitumor abilities are influenced by the molecular mass, branching configuration, conformation, and chemical modification of the polysaccharides. This review aims to integrate the information regarding nutritional, chemical and biological aspects of polysaccharides in mushrooms, which will possibly be employed to elucidate the correlation between their structural features and biological functions.

The investigation of immunomodulatory activities of Gloeostereum�incaratum polysaccharides in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression mice

“…However, the drugs performed in clinic, especially single-component chemicals, display severe adverse effects including general malaise and/or neurotoxicity (11,12), which is hard to meet the requirements of immunosuppressive patients. Dietary polysaccharides from natural products are getting more attention due to their health benefits and low toxicity (13,14), which have been confirmed to exhibit multiple immunomodulatory effects (15,16). Gloeostereum incarnatum, a precious edible mushroom, parasitizes broad-leaved wood in northern Japan and northern China (17).…”

Characterization, antioxidant activities and hepatoprotective effects of polysaccharides from pre-pressing separationFujiapple peel

“…In recent years, various plant polysaccharides have been shown to play an important role in reducing the risk of chronic diseases through their potential antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial activities (Nada, Omara, Abdel-Salam, & Zahran, 2010; Ren, Perera, & Hemar, 2012). It is well known that the liver is a vital organ of animals in terms of biotransformation and detoxification.…”

Phytotherapeutic interventions in the management of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer: a systematic review of randomised trials

“…Potential anti-cancer mechanisms of these agents have been extensively reviewed elsewhere [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. These include inhibition of proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest.…”

“…Silymarin (St Mary's/milk thistle) and its main active constituent, silibinin may enhance IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) action and inhibit IGF-1-induced growth or affect levels of AR-regulating genes [10]. Mushroom polysaccharides stimulate T-cells, B-cells, neutrophils, and macrophage dependent immune system responses [16]. Systemic bioavailability is poor for curcumin and silibinin [10,17].…”