Exploration of bioactive prospects of a polysaccharide fraction from Termitomyces heimii against colorectal cancer and broad spectrum bacteria

Abstract

Termitomyces heimii is a highly cherished wild edible mushroom in India for its pleasant delicacy, rich proximate compositions and profound ethno medicinal applications. A water soluble crude polysaccharide fraction (THP-I) was isolated from dried fruit bodies of T. heimii and purified by GPC. The 1H- NMR spectrum of THP-I exhibited anomeric protons within chemical shifts (δH) between 3.40 to 4.0, indicating that the compound possess –CH and –CH2 functional groups, which resonate with the oxygen atoms of the –OH group, confirmed it as a polysaccharide. THP-I exhibited the MIC values of 62.5 and 125 <mu>g/ml against Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella flexneri respectively. DPPH and FRAP assays showed effective radical scavenging potential by THP-I. In vitro cytotoxicity of THP-I was evaluated by MTT assay and showed notable cellular toxicity against HCT cells at a dose concentration 200 <mu>g/ml. It is first time reported herein that, THP-I has effectively diminished hyperplasia in 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced colon cancer of Swiss albino rats along with sprouting of goblet cells. Through the present study it is evident that polysaccharide from T. heimii exhibited manifold bioactivities and therefore could be exploited further for its undiscovered potential applications.