Characterization of polysaccharide from Pleurotus eryngii during simulated gastrointestinal digestion and fermentation

Pleurotus eryngii is a valuable new edible mushroom variety cultivated on a large scale in China. The polysaccharides found in this mushroom are strong bioactive. This study used simulated digestion and fermentation model to study the digestion and fermentation characteristics of Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharide (PEP) and its effect on gut microbiota. The results showed that the molecular weight of PEP remained unchanged after simulated digestion, and the overall structure of PEP was not destroyed, indicating that PEP was not decomposed during digestion. However, during fermentation, PEP was degraded and utilized by intestinal flora to produce a variety of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which reduced the pH value in fecal cultures. Meanwhile, PEP regulated the composition of intestinal flora, and the relative abundance of Firmicutes increased significantly. These suggests that PEP can be used as a functional food to promote intestinal health and prevent disease.

Pleurotus eryngii Polysaccharide Promotes Pluripotent Reprogramming via Facilitating Epigenetic Modification

Pleurotus eryngii is a medicinal/edible mushroom with great nutritional value and bioactivity. Its polysaccharide has recently been developed into an effective gene vector via cationic modification. In the present study, cationized P. eryngii polysaccharide (CPS), hybridized with calcium phosphate (CP), was used to codeliver plasmids (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc) for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The results revealed that the hybrid nanoparticles could significantly enhance the process and efficiency of reprogramming (1.6-fold increase) compared with the CP nanoparticles. The hybrid CPS also facilitated epigenetic modification during the reprogramming. Moreover, these hybrid nanoparticles exhibited multiple pathways (both caveolae- and clathrin-mediated endocytosis) in their cellular internalization, which accounted for the improved iPSCs generation. These findings therefore present a novel application of P. eryngii polysaccharide in pluripotent reprogramming via active epigenetic modification.