Structural and immunological studies of hetero polysaccharide isolated from the alkaline extract of Tricholoma crassum (Berk.) Sacc.

Abstract An immunoenhancing water-soluble hetero polysaccharide was isolated from an alkaline extract of the fruit bodies of an ectomycorrhizal edible mushroom, Tricholoma crassum (Berk.) Sacc. The structure of the molecule was investigated using acid hydrolysis, methylation analysis; periodate oxidation study, and NMR spectroscopy techniques ( 1 H, 13 C, DEPT-135, DQF-COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, ROESY, HSQC, and HMBC). On the basis of the above-mentioned experiments the structure of the repeating unit of the polysaccharide was established as: This polysaccharide exhibited splenocyte, thymocyte as well as macrophage activations.