Antitumor active protein-containing glycans from the Chinese mushroom songshan lingzhi, Ganoderma tsugae mycelium.

A water-soluble polysaccharide, FI, extracted from the mycelium of Granoderma tsugae, was fractionated and purified by ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and affinity chromatography. Sixteen polysaccharides obtained were examined for antitumor effects on Sarcoma 180 in mice. The three active polysaccharides obtained were as follows: FIo-a: A glycan-protein complex containing 9.3% protein, and having a hetero-glyco-chain of mannose and xylose. FIo-b-alpha: Molecular weight 10,000, glucan-protein complex containing 25.8% protein. The inhibition ratio was 61.8% against the solid cancer Sarcoma 180/mice; the survival ratio was more than 194% of the control group (100). FA-1-b-alpha: Molecular weight 16,000, a complex of glycan:protein = 42:58 w/w, consisting of glucose as a main component, and associated with arabinose, mannose, xylose, and galactose. This had a tumor inhibition ratio of 56% and a survival ratio of more than 182%. Comparison of active glycan with the fruiting body and mycelium: Among water-soluble polysaccharides of fruiting body, FIo-a and FA-1, with antitumor activity, were both glucogalactan-protein complexes of molecular weight 10,000, but that of mycelium was a homoglucan protein complex in FIo-b-alpha and heteroglucan protein in both FA-1-a and FA-1-b-alpha. The heteroglucan had a low tumor inhibition ratio, but caused a high survival ratio in mice.