Antitumor Activity and Structural Characterization of Polysaccharide Fractions Extracted with Cold Alkali from a Fungus, Peziza vesiculosa

抄録

Polysaccharides in the fruit body of Peziza vesiculosa were extracted with cold aqueous sodium hydroxide. The antitumor effect and structural features of the extracted fractions were examined. The above extraction gave a water-soluble heteroglycan fraction and a water-insoluble glucan fraction. The structural characteristics of these polysaccharides were estimated from the results of methylation analysis and ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The heteroglycan fraction was composed of glucose and mannose (20 : 1). The fraction contained a large amount of β-1, 3-glucosidic linkages (about 64%) and a small amount of α-1, 4-glucosidic linkages (about 30%). Some of the β-1, 3-linked glucose residues included branching points. The water-insoluble fraction contained a large amount of β-1, 3-linkages (about 90%). Both fractions showed potent antitumor activity against the solid form of sarcoma 180 tumor in ICR mice.