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Yu-Ping-Feng-Powder (YP), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, is widely applied in China for the cure and prevention of diseases related to immunodeficiency. To test whether the fractioned polysaccharides (YPF-P) isolated from YP have immunomodulating activities, the effects of YPF-P on cyclophosphamide (Cy)-treated mice were studied in relation to phagocytosis of macrophage, splenocyte proliferation, and humoral, and cellular immunity parameters. It was found that YPF-P enhances phagocytic activity, augments ConA- or LPS-stimulated T cell proliferation, increases the quantitative haemolysis of SRBC (QHS) and delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH) to dinitrofluorobenzene. Hence, YPF-P restored the immuno-competence suppressed by Cy. YPF-P also augmented IL-2 and IFN-γ production, but failed to increase IL-4 production, which indicates that there is high probability that it enhance Th1 function. These results suggested that YPF-P has immunomodulating effects and that the polysaccharides constitute one of the active components of YP.

The objective of this paper is to review the natural products and the pharmacological functions of Ganodermataceae family. Presently, studies on the bioactive components of Lingzhi are focused on polysaccharides and triterpenes/triterpenoids compounds. New Ganoderma polysaccharides, including their molecular weights, glycosyl residue compositions, glycosyl linkage and branches, are summarized in this paper. Also presented are new types of triterpenes and their characteristics from Lingzhi. Taking Ganoderma lucidum as an example, we reviewed its pharmacological functions in anti-tumor and immune-modulating activities for treating hypoglycemosis, hepatoprotection, and the effect on blood vessel system. Based on the advances in Lingzhi research in the past few decades, both G. lucidum and G. sinense are considered as the representative species of medicinal mushroom Lingzhi in China. Until 2001, G. tsugae was only advised to be used as the materials of the health products. The biologically-active components related to pharmacological functions of these three species were studied more than other Ganodermataceae family species; however, which have been used in less modern folk medicine.

The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and antiradical activities of Wu Ling Shen, a popular medicinal fungus (Xylaria nigripes) used in traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Two different X. nigripes materials, the cultivated X. nigripes mycelia (XN) and a commercial X. nigripes product (XNP), were used to prepare the aqueous (XN-H vs. XNP-H) and ethanol (XN-E vs. XNP-E) extracts for this study. Polyphenol and total polysaccharide contents of these extracts were also examined. Results showed that extracts of XN possessed stronger antioxidant and antiradical activities than XNP in all tested model systems. However, all extracts exhibited a weak activity in metal chelation and reducing power. Total antioxidant activity of XN extracts (IC₅₀ 6.20 μg/ml for XN-H and 5.41 μg/ml for XN-E), but not XNP extracts (IC₅₀ 128.13 μg/ml for XNP-H and 96.16 μg/ml for XNP-E), was more potent than Trolox (IC₅₀ 19.64 μg/ml) and vitamin C (IC₅₀ 26.39 μg/ml). XN-E (IC₅₀ 5.12 μg/ml) and XNP-E (IC₅₀ 8.89 μg/ml) possessed a relatively similar potency as that of positive controls (IC₅₀ 6.94 μg/ml for Trolox and 4.25 μg/ml for vitamin C) in the superoxide radical scavenging activity. Although the DPPH radical scavenging of XN extracts was weaker than that of Trolox and vitamin C, it was about eight times more potent than that of XNP extracts. In ABTS assay, both XN and XNP extracts exhibited a moderate ABTS radical scavenging activity. Among the different extracts, XN-E showed the highest total flavonoid (32.69 mg/g) and phenol (59.75 mg/g) contents, while XNP-H (7.50% w/w) had the highest level in total polysaccharide content. These results conclude that XN-E possesses the most potent antioxidant and antiradical activities, and that these activities could be derived from its high polyphenol content, but not the level of polysaccharides.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of Patrinia scabra Bunge polysaccharide (PSB-P2) on cervical cancer cell (U14)-bearing mice. The tumor weight of mice treated with PSB-P2 (40, 80 mg/kg b.w.) was significantly lower than that of the control group and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was decreased, while serum alkaline phosphatase (AKP) level was only changed slightly. Meanwhile, the number of apoptotic tumor cells was significantly increased in the mice by the treatment of PSB-P2 (40, 80 mg/kg b.w.). At the same time, cell cycle analysis showed the accumulation of tumor cells in the G0/G1 phase and a relative decrease in the S phase. On the other hand, using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, PSB-P2 (40, 80 mg/kg b.w.) showed the up-regulation of p53 and Bax, and significant inhibition of Bcl-2 in tumor tissues. It suggests a possible mechanism of the inhibitory effect of PSB-P2 on tumor growth.

To investigate the immuno-modulating activity of Flammulina velutipes mycelium, three different Flammulina velutipes polysaccharides (FVPs) were isolated by fractionation using gel filtration and were identified as the immunomodulators of murine peritoneal macrophages. Based on the results of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), NMR spectroscopy, methylation analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrogram (GC–MS), FVP2C was identified as glucose, galactose, mannose and fucose in molar ratio of 100: 14: 7: 4. FVP2C, molecular weight of 27.3 × 10³Da, was characterized as α-D-(1→4)-glucan which was highly branched with α-D-(1→6)-glucosyl residues, a single galactose or small amounts of mannoses and fucose at the C-6 position every twelve residues, on average, along the main chain. In the present study, it was found that three FVPs induced a significant increase in cellular nitric oxide formation, interleukin-1 production and tumor necrosis factor-α secretion in macrophages in vitro. The immuno-modulating activity of FVP2A, FVP2B and FVP2C was dose-dependent.

Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum), a basidiomycete white rot fungus, has long been prescribed to prevent and treat various human diseases, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea. Several classes of bioactive substances have been isolated and identified from G. lucidum, such as triterpenoids, polysaccharides, nucleosides, sterols, and alkaloids, among others. This paper examines the potential role of G. lucidum polysaccharide (GLPS) in tumor therapy and the possible mechanisms involved. Both in vitro and in vivo studies suggested that the anti-tumor activities of GLPS are mediated by its immunomodulatory, anti-angiogenic, and cytotoxic effects. GLPS affects immune cells and immune-related cells including B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells. In addition, recent data also suggest that GLPS suppresses tumorigenesis or inhibits tumor growth through direct cytotoxic effect and anti-angiogenic actions. However, many questions still need to be answered before both G. lucidum and GLPS can be widely accepted and used as anti-tumor agents.

Polysaccharide-rich Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa have been considered to have immune-modulating activity. This study investigated the effects of water extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa (HE) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver injury in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into: normal diet + peritoneal injection of olive oil (control), normal diet + CCl₄ injection (CCl₄), 1 × HE (0.05% HE for each) + CCl₄ (1 × HE), and 3 × HE (0.15% HE for each) + CCl₄ (3 × HE) groups. Rats were injected with 40% CCl₄ at a dose of 0.75 ml/kg body weight once a week for seven weeks, one week after herbal extract treatment. After eight week herbal extract treatment, pathohistological examination showed that both 1× and 3 × HE treatments diminished necrotic hepatocytes, chemoattraction of inflammatory cells, and liver fibrosis. Both 1× and 3 × HE treatments decreased plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, and reduced hepatic levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines — tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β — compared to CCl₄ treatment alone. The 1 × HE treatment increased hepatic anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 levels. Both the 1× and 3 × HE treatments suppressed liver fibrosis biomarkers — transforming growth factor-β1 and hydroxyproline. Therefore, treatment with water extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa (0.05% and 0.15% for each) for eight weeks protects against necrotic damage, indicated by decreases in plasma ALT and AST activities, and suppresses liver fibrosis by down-regulation of liver inflammation in rats with CCl4-induced liver injury.

The root of Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has been used for centuries in Oriental medicine to improve general well-being and to relieve various medical conditions. It is commonly understood that ginsenosides are responsible for the pharmacological activities of ginseng. Compared to the root of ginseng, studies on the berry are considerably limited. In this study, we evaluated the effects of polysaccharides from Asian ginseng berries on plasma lipid levels, chemically-induced enteric inflammation and neoplasm, and cancer chemoprevention in different experimental models. We tested two polysaccharide preparations: regular ginseng berry polysaccharide extract (GBPE) and ginseng berry polysaccharide portion (GBPP, removed MV $<20,000$). We first observed that both oral GBPE and oral GBPP significantly reduced plasma cholesterol and triglycerides levels in a dose-related manner in ob/ob mice, without obvious body weight changes. Then, in AOM/DSS-induced acute colitis mice, GBPE and GBPP significantly ameliorated the increased gut disease activity index and inhibited the reduction of the colon length. Further, the berry polysaccharides significantly suppressed chemically-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. This is consistent with the observation that GBPE and GBPP attenuated tumorigenesis in mice by significantly and dose-dependently reducing tumor load. Finally, in vitro HCT-116 and HT-29 human colon cancer cells were used. While these berry preparations had better antiproliferation effects on the HCT-116 than the HT-29 cells, the GBPE had significantly stronger inhibitory effects than GBPP. The observed in vitro GBPE’s effect could contribute to the actions of its small-molecule non-polysaccharide compounds due to their direct antiproliferative activities. Results obtained from the present study suggest that ginseng berry polysaccharides may have a therapeutic role in the management of high lipid levels, enteric inflammation, and colon malignancies.

The Ganoderma genus is known for its diverse use as a functional food and therapeutic agent. This fungus has over 428 species, with Ganoderma lucidum being the most studied. The Ganoderma species produce several secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds like polysaccharides, phenols, and triterpenes, which are largely responsible for their therapeutic properties. Throughout this review, several extracts obtained from Ganoderma species have been studied to delve into their therapeutic characteristics and mechanisms. Such properties like immunomodulation, antiaging, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities have been demonstrated by several Ganoderma species and are supported by a large body of evidence. Although its phytochemicals play a vital role in its therapeutic properties, identifying the therapeutic potentials of fungal-secreted metabolites for human health-promoting benefits is a challenging task. Identification of novel compounds with distinct chemical scaffolds and their mechanism of action could help suppress the spread of rising pathogens. Thus, this review provides an updated and comprehensive overview of the bioactive components in different Ganoderma species and the underlying physiological mechanisms.

Ginseng is a very commonly used natural product in the world, and its two main species are Asian ginseng and American ginseng. Ginseng is an adaptogenic botanical that reportedly protects the body against stress, stabilizes physiological processes, and restores homeostasis. Previously, different animal models and contemporary research methodologies have been used to reveal ginseng’s biomedical activities in different body systems and the linked mechanisms of actions. However, human clinical observation data on ginseng effects have attracted more attention from the general public and medical community. In this paper, after an introduction of the phytochemistry of ginseng species, we review positive ginseng clinical studies, mainly conducted in developed countries, performed over the past 20 years. The reported effects of ginseng are presented in several sections, and conditions impacted by ginseng include diabetes; cardiovascular disorders; cognition, memory, and mood; the common cold and flu; cancer fatigue and well-being; quality of life and social functioning, etc. Administration of ginseng demonstrated a good safety record in humans. Although encouraging beneficial effects obtained from clinical data, using the study treatment regimen, the reported ginseng effects in general only ranged from mild to moderate. Nonetheless, these beneficial effects of ginseng could be a valuable add-on therapy for patients receiving standard drug treatments. Additionally, as a dietary supplement, ginseng possesses an important role in maintaining and promoting human health. We believe that the quality of future ginseng trials should be improved, particularly by providing detailed herbal phytochemistry and quality control information. With solid effectiveness data obtained from a well-designed, carefully executed ginseng clinical trial, this meritoriously herbal medicine will be widely used by consumers and patients.

Natural methacrylate polysaccharides and proteins represent a versatile group of modified macromolecules. The methacrylic group is capable of undergoing a gelling process through a photo-crosslinking polymerization into the macromolecule backbone. This chapter presents an overview of the methacrylation reaction of biopolymers, such as chitosan, laminarin, hyaluronic acid, dextran, gellan gum, gelatin and platelet lysates, developed by our research group. The biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, therapeutic delivery and stem cells modulation, are highlighted.

Purpose: To review the nature, extent, bioactivities and clinical application of bioactive polysaccharides in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), especially as adjuvants in cancer treatment.

Methodology: Literature Review.

Findings: Many fungal and plant derived bioactive polysaccharides with a broad range of immunomodulatory activities are found in TCM. Some such polysaccharides have been developed into drugs and showed clinical efficacy in controlled trials while the majority of such compounds remain as nutraceuticals with only preliminary research. Such polysaccharides are generally non-toxic and also possess other bioactivities such as inducing differentiation, stimulating hematopoiesis, anti-metastasis, and anti-angiogenesis, which make them ideal adjuvants in modern cancer therapy.

Conclusion: Bioactive polysaccharides occur extensively in TCM herbs and is the basis of potential useful application of TCM as adjuvant in cancer therapies.

In this paper, tara gum (TG) is modified with an etherifying agent of 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl- trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC), and the product of quaternary ammonium cationic tara gum (CTG) is acquired. The effect of reaction time, dosages of etherifying agent, and NaOH charge on the degree of substitution (DS) of CTG are investigated. The optimized conditions for the preparation of quaternary ammonium CTG are as follows: Temperature of 60°C, reaction time of 3 hours; m (CHPTAC): m (TG) =0.3:1; m (NaOH): m (TG) =0.3:1, respectively. Under this condition, the DS of the acquired CTG is 32.7% and the surface charge density of CTG increases with increasing DS value. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis indicate that the cationic groups are bonded to the molecules of TG. Therefore, CTG has potential uses as a drainage and retention agent to increase the drainage rate and first pass retention (FPR) of fines.

Chitin and chitosan hold a great economic value as due to their versatile biological activities and chemical applications, mainly in medical. Recent advances in fermentation technologies suggest that the cultivation of selected fungi can provide an alternative source of chitin and chitosan. The amount of these polysaccharides depends of the fungi species and culture conditions. Filamentous fungi have been considered an attractive source of chitin and chitosan for industrial applications because their specific products can be manufactured under standardized conditions. However, to optimize the production of chitin and chitosan from fungi, it’s usually used complex or synthetics cultures media, which are expensive. It’s becomes necessary to obtain economic culture media that promote the growth of fungi and stimulate the production of the polymers. Economic microbial culture media normally use vegetables components. Microbiological process was studied for production of chitin and chitosan by Cuninghamella elegans grown in Coconut water. A laboratory assay was carried out to evaluate the Cunningamella elegans growth using Coconut water during 96 hours, under agitation (125 rpm) at 28°C. The mycelial biomass was determined following lyophilization. Chitin and chitosan were extracted by alkali-acid treatment, and the polymers were characterized by Infrared spectroscopy and viscosity. A higher production of biomass can be verified in 96 hours of growth corresponding to 2,19 g/L. In addition, the best yield of chitin (389mg/g) and chitosan (129 mg/g) are obtained in 48 hours and 96 hours of growth, respectively. Chitin and chitosan showed degree of deacetilation, respectively of 23% and 80% and viscosimetric molecular weight of chitin and chitosan 2.39 × 10⁴ g/mol and 3.5 × 10⁴ g/mol, respectively. The results suggest that Coconut water improves chitin and chitosan production and the mycelial biomass of C. elegans may be used as an alternative source of these polymers.

Chitin and chitosan hold a great economic value as due to their versatile biological activities and chemical applications, mainly in medical. Recent advances in fermentation technologies suggest that the cultivation of selected fungi can provide an alternative source of chitin and chitosan. The amount of these polysaccharides depends of the fungi species and culture conditions. Filamentous fungi have been considered an attractive source of chitin and chitosan for industrial applications because their specific products can be manufactured under standardized conditions. This research describes an experimental study of the influence of the glucose, thiamine and asparagine concentration on chitin and chitosan production by R. arrhizus. The effect of these factors or the interaction effects between these will be observed by factorial design analysis. For chitin and chitosan production suspensions of 10⁸ sporangioles/mL of R. arrhizus was inoculated in Erlenmeyer flask containg Hesseltine and Anderson medium, varying glucose, thiamine and asparagine concentration. These parameters were varied symmetrically around the central point according to the 2³ factorial design (Glucose 20.0, 40.0 and 60.0 g/L; Tiamine 0.002, 0.005 and 0.008mg/L; Asparagine 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0g/L). An estimate of pure experimental error was calculated from four replicates run corresponding to a central point of the complete factorial. The response recorded were chitin and chitosan yield. The flasks were incubated at 28°C, 150 rpm, during 72 hours. The mycelia were harvested, washed and submitted to lyophilization process. The process of extraction of chitin and chitosan involved deproteination with sodium hydroxide solution, separation of alkali-insoluble fraction, extraction of chitosan by Acetic acid. The degree of deacetylation for chitin and chitosan were determined by infrared spectroscopy. The data were analyzed for significance by the Student’s t-test and chi-square test, using the Statistic program, version 6.0 of Statsoft Inc., USA. The best yield of biomass was obtained in experimental condition 6. (glucose 60.0g/L, Tiamine 0.008 mg/L and asparagine 1.0g/L). On the other hand the best yiels of polysaccharides were obtained in experimental condition 4 (60.0g/L glucose, 0.003mg/L thiamine and 3.0g/L asparatine) for chitosan (96 mg/g) and in experimental condition central point (40.0g/L glucose, 0.005mg/L tiamine and 2.0g/L asparagine) for chitin (202mg/g). There was no statistical difference, 95% significance, between the parameters studied for chitin and chitosan production. The obtained results suggested that the carbon and nitrogen source of the culture medium influence the chitin and chitosan production.

Using transmittance data appropriate for grain material which is predominantly comprised of polysaccharides we have computed infrared fluxes from several types of galactic infrared source. The model used in these computations involves polysaccharide condensation in material flowing out from O-type stars. With the exception of rather minor discrepancies we show that it is possible to match the 2.1–13 μ observations of a wide range of galactic infrared sources.

The ultrasonic-assisted extraction process of polysaccharides from Imperatae Rhizoma by response surface methodology (RSM) was optimizated in the paper. Based on the Box-Behnken design principles, the RSM with three factors and three levels was adopted. The experimental data were analyzed by the RSM softwares of Design-Expert V 7.0.0. The results showed that the optimal extraction parameters were solvent to material ratio 12.6mL/g, extraction temperature 61.6°C and extraction time 55.6min. Under the above-mentioned conditions, it can be included that the experimental extraction yield of polysaccharides was 0.402%, which was close to the predicted value 0.399%.

Radix Astragali is one of the most widely used medicinal herbs in Asian traditional medicine, and polysaccharides had been identified as the mainly bioactive ingredient in it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypoglycemic effects of polysaccharides from Radix Astragali (RAP) on alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Diabetic mice were randomly divided into five groups: diabetic control, positive drug control, low, moderate, and high-dose RAP treated group. Meanwhile, normal mice were used as the control. RAP treated group received different doses of RAP (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) via oral gavage once a day for 4 weeks. The effects of RAP on body weight, blood glucose, glucose tolerance and serum insulin were investigated. The results showed that RAP significantly increased body weights, glucose tolerance, and serum insulin levels, while decreasing blood glucose levels of diabetic mice. These findings suggest that RAP possesses hypoglycemic effects.