Deproteinization of water-soluble ß-glucan during acid extraction from fruiting bodies of Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms

Glucans and applications in drug delivery

Glucan is a natural polysaccharide widely distributed in cereals and microorganisms that has various biological activities, including immunomodulatory, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities. In addition to wide applications in the broad fields of food, healthcare, and biomedicines, glucans hold promising potential as drug delivery carrier materials or ligands. Specifically, glucan microparticles or yeast cell wall particles are naturally enclosed vehicles with an interior cavity that can be exploited to carry and deliver drug payloads. The biological activities and targeting capacities of glucans depend largely on the recognition of glucan moieties by receptors such as dectin-1 and complement receptor 3, which are widely expressed on the cell membranes of mononuclear phagocytes, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and some lymphocytes. This review summarizes the chemical structures, sources, fundamental properties, extraction methods, and applications of these materials, with an emphasis on drug delivery. Glucans are utilized mainly as vaccine adjuvants, targeting ligands and as carrier materials for various drug entities. It is believed that glucans and glucan microparticles may be useful for the delivery of both small-molecule and macromolecular drugs, especially for potential treatment of immune-related diseases.

Mushroom β-glucans: application and innovation for food industry and immunotherapy

Among the most important sources of β-glucans are edible and medicinal mushrooms. These molecules are components of the cellular wall of basidiomycete fungi (mushrooms) and can be extracted even from the basidiocarp as the mycelium and its cultivation extracts or biomasses. Mushroom β-glucans are recognized by their potential effects as immunostimulants and immunosuppressants. They are highlighted as anticholesterolemic, anti-inflammatory, adjuvant in diabetes mellitus, mycotherapy for cancer treatment, as well as adjuvants for COVID-19 vaccines. Due to their relevance, several techniques of β-glucans extraction, purification, and analysis have already been described. Despite the previous knowledge of β-glucans' benefits for human nutrition and health, the main information about this topic refers to the molecular identification, properties, and benefits, as well as their synthesis and action on cells. Studies on biotechnology industry applications (product development) and the registered products of β-glucans from mushrooms are still limited and more common for feed and healthcare. In this context, this paper reviews the biotechnological production of food products containing β-glucans from basidiomycete fungi, focusing on food enrichment, and presents a new perspective on fungi β-glucans' use as potential immunotherapy agents. KEY POINTS: • Mushrooms' β-glucans for product development in the biotechnology industry • Biotechnological production of food products containing mushrooms' β-glucans • Basidiomycete fungi β-glucans are used as potential immunotherapy agents.

A Review of Development and Utilization for Edible Fungal Polysaccharides: Extraction, Chemical Characteristics, and Bioactivities

Edible fungi, commonly known as mushrooms, are precious medicinal and edible homologous gifts from nature to us. Because of their distinctive flavor and exceptional nutritional and medicinal value, they have been a frequent visitor to people’s dining tables and have become a hot star in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. Edible fungal polysaccharides (EFPs) are an essential nutrient for edible fungi to exert bioactivity. They have attracted much attention because of their antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antitumor, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic bioactivities. As a result, EFPs have demonstrated outstanding potential over the past few decades in various disciplines, including molecular biology, immunology, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical chemistry. However, the complexity of EFPs and the significant impact of mushroom variety and extraction techniques on their bioactivities prevents a complete investigation of their biological features. Therefore, the authors of this paper thoroughly reviewed the comparison of different extraction methods of EFPs and their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and glycosidic bond type and backbone structure of EFPs are described in detail. Moreover, the in vitro and in vivo bioactivities of EFPs extracted by different methods and their potential regulatory mechanisms are summarized. These provide a valuable reference for improving the extraction process of EFPs and their production and development in the pharmaceutical field.

Extracción de sustancias bioactivas de <i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i> (Pleurotaceae) por maceración dinámica

La extracción de compuestos bioactivos de Pleurotus ostreatus por maceración dinámica, es un proceso sencillo y económico, que normalmente presenta baja eficiencia. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el proceso de extracción para determinar qué tratamiento permite la mayor eficiencia, analizando la influencia de los factores de estudio: concentración de etanol (50 %, 80 %, 95 %) y relación sólido/solvente (1:10, 1:20, 1:30). Se maceraron 5 g de polvo fúngico en etanol acuoso durante 90 minutos, a 150 rpm, 25 °C y tamaño de partícula de 0,5 a 1,0 mm. Se trataron los datos mediante estadística paramétrica con un nivel de confianza del 95 %. Los resultados revelaron que la mayor eficiencia de extracción total (40,9 %) en base seca se obtuvo con etanol al 50 % y una relación sólido/solvente de 1:30. Por componentes se encontró que, el etanol al 50 % con una relación de 1:20 permitió la máxima eficiencia para carbohidratos totales (17,9 %) y polisacáridos (17,2 %), mientras que con una relación de 1:30 se obtuvo la máxima eficiencia para azúcares reductores (0,91 %) y polifenoles (0,23 %). Por otro lado, el etanol al 95 % y la relación 1:30 permitió la máxima eficiencia para proteínas (29,4 %). La extracción de beta-glucanos no fue significativa. La eficiencia de la extracción está muy influenciada por los parámetros de operación, principalmente por la concentración de etanol; en particular, la de 50 % resultó más favorable para la obtención de la mayoría de sustancias bioactivas con potencial nutracéutico.