Extraction and Structural Characteristics of Cell Wall Polysaccharides from Hericium erinaceus

Abstract:

Effects of pulverizing time and extraction solvents on yields and structural characteristics of cell wall polysaccharides from Hericium erinaceus residue were studied. Results showed that the yields of water-soluble cell wall polysaccharides increased but the polysaccharide contents decreased with the prolonged pulverizing time. The pulverizing time also had significant effects on the molecular distribution pattern and the monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides，and the optimal time was 15 min. The increase of NaOH concentration raised the yields and contents but reduced the immune activities of alkali-soluble cell wall polysaccharides，and the optimal NaOH concentration was 0.5 mol/L. Both water- and alkaline-soluble polysaccharides significantly stimulated murine macrophages to release NO，indicating a potent immune activity in vitro. But the molecular weights of water-soluble cell wall polysaccharides were much larger than those of alkali-soluble ones. The later contained glucose only，while the former also contained a certain amount of galactose and the ratio of glucose to galactose was approximately 4∶1. This study established a method to obtain cell wall polysaccharide from Hericium erinaceus，and elucidated the structural difference between water- and alkali-soluble cell wall polysaccharides.