Fractionation and Antitumor Activity of Polysaccharides from Grifola frondosa Mycelium

We developed a method for the fractionation and purification of antitumor polysaccharides, considered to be a type of immuno-potentiator or BRM (biological response modifier), from the mycelium of liquid cultured Grifola frondosa. The active polysaccharide fractions that showed higher antitumor activity were considered to be heteroglycans or their protein complexes as follows, in water-soluble fractions: FI0-a-α: fucoga-lactomannan-protein complex; FI0-a-β: mannogalactofucan; FA-1: galactoglucomannofucan-protein complex; FA-2-b-α: glucogalactomannan-protein complex; in water-insoluble fractions: FIII-1-a: mannofucoglucoxylan; FIII-1-b: mannoglucofucoxylan-protein complex; FIII-2-a: mannofucoglucoxylan-protein complex; FIII-2-b: glucomannofucoxylan-protein complex.