Structure and antitumor activity of the extracellular polysaccharides from Aspergillus aculeatus via apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.

Two extracellular polysaccharides, designated as WPA and WPB, were isolated from the fungus Aspergillus aculeatus using Q-Sepharose fast flow and Sephacryl S-300 column chromatography. WPA composed of mannose and galactose in a molar ratio of 3.9:1.0, and WPB mainly contained mannose. The molecular weight of WPA and WPB was about 28.1 kDa and 21.0 kDa, respectively. On the basis of methylation and NMR analysis, the possible main chain of WPA was [→5)-β-D-Galf-(1 → 2,6)-α-D-Manp(1→], and WPB was mainly [→2,6)-α-D-Manp(1→], both with [α-D-Manp(1 → 2)-α-D-Manp(1 → 2)-α-D-Manp(1→] substituted at C-2 of [→2,6)-α-D-Manp(1→]. Meanwhile, WPA displayed a stronger anti-proliferative effect than WPB on HeLa, MCF-7 and MGC-803 cells in vitro. WPA and WPB could arrest HeLa cells in G2/M phase and induce HeLa cells apoptosis. Thus, our study provides evidence that WPA and WPB may be taken as potential candidates for treating cervical carcinoma.