STRUCTURAL ELUCIDATION OF A NEUTRAL WATER-SOLUBLE α-D-GLUCAN FROM THE FUNGUS OF HERICIUM ERINACEUS

Abstract

ABSTRACT A new α-D-glucan (HEPF5), with a molecular weight of 4.23 × 105 Da as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, was isolated from the water extract of the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus. Its chemical structure was characterized by sugar and methylation analysis along with infrared (IR), 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, including correlated spectroscopy, total correlation spectroscopy, heteronuclear multiple quantum correlation spectroscopy and nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy experiments for linkage and sequence analysis. The polysaccharide is composed of a multibranch tetrasaccharide repeating unit with the following structure: PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Mushroom-derived polysaccharides have emerged as an important class of bioactive substances, to which numerous medicinal and therapeutic properties have been attributed. Hericium erinaceus is a traditional Chinese medicinal fungus distributed throughout China. It is used to treat gastric ulcers, chronic gastritis and other digestive tract-related diseases. As the function is intimately related to the structure, characterization of highly complex and diverse polysaccharides is highly desirable. Despite the large amount of knowledge on the structure of polysaccharide, elucidation of the fine structures of heteropolysaccharide from varied sources and diverse conditions still remains as a matter of immense interest and importance. This paper describes the structure of a novel water-soluble heteropolysaccharide isolated from the fruiting bodies of H. erinaceus. It should help in correlating the structure and function relationship, which is significant for its utilization both in pharmaceutical and food industries.