A novel Hericium erinaceus polysaccharide: structural characterization and prevention of H2O2-induced oxidative damage in GES-1 cells

Abstract In this paper, the structural characteristics and bioactivity of a novel polysaccharide from H. erinaceus (HEPN) were investigated, wherein, physico-chemical characterization demonstrated that HEPN with an average molecular weightof 12.713 kDa was composed of mannose (5.13%), glucose (43.02%), and galactose (51.85%). The models in vitro for preventing oxidative damage of human gastric epithelium (GES-1) cells were established and used to investigate the preventive effects of HEPN from oxidative damage. It was found that HEPN could significantly prevent GES-1 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage by promoting cell proliferation, inhibiting cell necrosis, reducing ROS levels, regulating mitochondrial membrane potential and maintaining mitochondrial membrane permeability. These results indicated HEPN can effectively prevent gastric cell damage in vitro and suggested the potential application of HEPN as bioactive ingredient for healthy foods.