Antitumor-active heteroglycans from niohshimeji mushroom, Tricholoma giganteum

Water-soluble polysaccharide FI and water-insoluble polysaccharides FII, FIII-1, and FIII-2 were obtained from fruiting bodies of Tricholoma giganteum. Polysaccharides were further fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and affinity chromatography. The 24 polysaccharide fractions obtained were examined for their antitumor effect on Sarcoma 180 implanted in mice. The following antitumor-active polysaccharides were identified: FIo-a, a mixture of alpha-D-glucan and xyloglucomannan with an average molecular weight of 1.6 x 10(6); FA-1, a beta-D-glucan containing 1% protein and with a molecular weight of 4.0 x 10(4); FII-1, a (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan containing 7.8% protein, with a molecular weight of 5.2 x 10(4); FIII-1-b, a protein-polysaccharide complex (ratio, 37.5:62.5, w/w), with a molecular weight of 6.8 x 10(4) and with xylose, galactose, mannose, and glucose in the polysaccharide moiety (proportions of 8.9:14.9:29.3:46.9 by weight), and FIII-2-a, b, and c, three (1-->6)-beta-D-glucosyl-branched (1-->3)-beta-D-glucans with a molecular weight from 2.6 x 10(5) to 4.1 x 10(5) and containing small amounts of xylose and galactose and 3.5-8.3% protein.