Characterization of chemical composition of Agaricus brasiliensis polysaccharides and its effect on myocardial SOD activity, MDA and caspase-3 level in ischemia-reperfusion rats.

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to characterize the polysaccharides in Agaricus brasiliensis. GC-MS analysis showed that the A. brasiliensis polysaccharide was a typical heteropolysaccharide and mainly composed of glucose, arabinose and mannose in the molar percentages of 78.38%, 10.46% and 8.51%, respectively. The Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) of A. brasiliensis polysaccharides revealed typical characteristics of polysaccharides. The samples had the characteristics of hydroxyl groups, C-H band and alpha-pyranoses. Ischemia-reperfusion treatment markedly decreased myocardial SOD activity and increased MDA level in rats treated with ischemia-reperfusion. Pharmacological experiment showed that administration of A. brasiliensis polysaccharide could significantly enhance myocardial SOD activity and reduce MDA level in rats treated with ischemia-reperfusion. At the same time, administration of A. brasiliensis polysaccharide could still significantly reduce (p<0.01) caspase-3 level in rats' brain. Results indicated that A. brasiliensis polysaccharide was beneficial in some cardiovascular diseases. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.