Structure and immunomodulatory activity of a water-soluble α-glucan from Hirsutella sinensis mycelia.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Immune supportEnergy & fatigueRespiratory

SpeciesCordyceps, Caterpillar Fungus

JournalInternational journal of biological macromolecules

Year2021

Key points

Hirsutella sinensis, the anamorph of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn
Cordyceps sinensis), is a great substitute for precious and rare wild Cordyceps sinensis to effectively treat a variety of lung and kidney diseases
In this study, an α-glucan (named as HSWP-2a) was obtained by hot water extraction, DEAE-cellulose separation, and Sepharose CL-6B purification from H. sinensis mycelia
Different from known α-glucans, HSWP-2a is an α-(1 → 4)-D-glucan that branched at O-6, O-3, or O-2 with a terminal 1-linked α-D-Glcp as side chain, with an average molecular weight of 870.70 kDa
Immunological tests showed that HSWP-2a could remarkably enhance the phagocytosis of macrophages and increase the production of NO, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, via activating the p38, JNK, and NF-κB signaling pathways
Moreover, HSWP-2a could significantly promote splenic lymphocyte proliferation

Metadata-grounded summary

Citation abstract

Hirsutella sinensis, the anamorph of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn. Cordyceps sinensis), is a great substitute for precious and rare wild Cordyceps sinensis to effectively treat a variety of lung and kidney diseases. In this study, an α-glucan (named as HSWP-2a) was obtained by hot water extraction, DEAE-cellulose separation, and Sepharose CL-6B purification from H. sinensis mycelia. Different from known α-glucans, HSWP-2a is an α-(1 → 4)-D-glucan that branched at O-6, O-3, or O-2 with a terminal 1-linked α-D-Glcp as side chain, with an average molecular weight of 870.70 kDa. Immunological tests showed that HSWP-2a could remarkably enhance the phagocytosis of macrophages and increase the production of NO, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, via activating the p38, JNK, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Moreover, HSWP-2a could significantly promote splenic lymphocyte proliferation. Taken together, HSWP-2a may be potentially utilized as a natural immunomodulatory agent.

Citation

Rong L, Li G, Zhang Y, Xiao Y, Qiao Y, Yang M, et al. (2021). Structure and immunomodulatory activity of a water-soluble α-glucan from Hirsutella sinensis mycelia. International journal of biological macromolecules https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.08.185 PMID: 34464642

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