Analgesic Activity of a Glucan Polysaccharide Isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill

Maria Leônia C Gonzaga,Ana L P Freitas,José R R De Souza,Sandra De A Soares,Thiago M F Menezes,Nágila M P S Ricardo

doi:10.1155/2013/846565

Maria Leônia C Gonzaga, Ana L P Freitas + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/846565

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Abstract

A water soluble polysaccharide and its selective precipitated fractions (F1, F2, and F3) were isolated from hot water extract of fruiting bodies of Agaricus blazei Murril known as Agaricus brasiliensis to evaluate the analgesic activity of the materials in Swiss mice. The isolated material and its fractions were characterized by two-dimensional COSY and HMQC spectra as β-(1→6)-α-(1→4)-glucan-bound-protein polysaccharide constituted mainly by β-(1→6) glucan. The glucan-protein polysaccharide and its fractions were analyzed in relation to the protein, carbohydrate, and mineral elements contents. The analysis of the glucan-protein complex revealed a total carbohydrate content of 36.95% and protein conjugated content of 17.24%. The mineral elements found in larger proportion were K, Na, Ca, P, and Zn. The analgesic activity bioassay of the β-(1→6)-α-(1→4)-glucan bound-protein polysaccharide and its fractions in Swiss mice indicated a significant effect.

Highlights

Several species of mushrooms have presented interesting biological activities
Twodimensional spectra COSY and HMQC (Figures 2 and 3, resp.) of the isolated polysaccharide and fractions were used to confirm the attributions in the study recorded by 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and 1H NMR one-dimensional spectra reported in our previous work [35] that reveled the main structural characteristics of the polysaccharide
The COSY and HMQC data support the first evidence established in the previous paper [35] that the water soluble isolated polysaccharides from Agaricus blazei cultivated in Brazil, as being constituted of β-(1 → 6) and α-(1 → 4) glucan-bonded protein complex, Table 1: Molar mass of the fractions by GPC and protein content from polysaccharides and fractions

Summary

Introduction

Several species of mushrooms have presented interesting biological activities. The mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill is a fungus species from the family Basidiomycetes. It occurs naturally in the Atlantic Forest in the mountains of Sao Paulo state, southeast Brazil. It has been shown to reduce the level of blood cholesterol, protecting against coronary diseases [7], and to reduce the level of glucose in the blood [8]. It presents significant contents of proteins, minerals, and fibers such as chitin [6].

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