Antitumor activity and chemical modification of polysaccharides from niohshimeji mushroom, Tricholma giganteum.

Two chemical modification procedures, Smith degradation and formolysis processes, were used in an attempt to improve the antitumor activity of water-soluble and water-insoluble polysaccharides prepared from the fruiting body of niohshimeji, Tricholoma giganteum. The chemically modified products were examined for their antitumor effects on Sarcoma 180 solid tumor implanted in mice. The following results were as follows: Some Smith degradation products, i.e., O-R-Flo-c-beta and O-R-FA-2 prepared from water-soluble polysaccharides, and O-R-FII-1 and O-R-FIII-2-c from water-insoluble polysaccharides, had higher antitumor activities than the original polysaccharides. None of the formolysis products, F-Flo-a, F-W-Flo-a, F-FA-3, F-W-FA-3 from water-soluble polysaccharides, and F-FII-2, F-W-FII-2, F-FIII-2-b, and F-W-FIII-2-b prepared from water-insoluble polysaccharides had improved antitumor activities.