Fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. – a new source of water-insoluble (1→3)-α-d-glucan

A water-insoluble polysaccharide (WIP) was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus HE01 by an alkaline solution with the yield of 5%. Structural and compositional analyses by total acid hydrolysis, methylation analysis, FT-IR, FT-Raman, and 1H NMR spectroscopy as well as other instrumental techniques showed predominantly glucose linked by α-glycosidic bonds and small amounts of mannose, xylose, rhamnose, galactose, and ribose. The methylation analysis showed that (1→3)-linked Glcp is the major constituent (70.8%) of the polymer, while the 3,4 substituted d-Glcp represents the main branching residue of the glucan. The presence of (1→3)-α-d-glucan in the hyphae of H. erinaceus was additionally confirmed by the use of specific fluorophore-labeled antibodies

d-Glucan from Fruiting Body and Mycelium of Cerrena unicolor (Bull.) Murrill: Structural Characterization and Use as a Novel Inducer of Mutanase

Water-insoluble, alkali-soluble polysaccharide (marked as ASP) was extracted from the vegetative mycelium and fruiting body of Cerrena unicolor strain. Monosaccharide examination of ASP demonstrated that the isolated biopolymer was composed mainly of glucose, xylose, and mannose monomers. The methylation investigation of studied polymers indicated that (1→3)-linked -d-Glcp is the major chain constituent (92.2% for glucans isolated from fruiting body and 90.1% from mycelium). 1 H NMR, FT-IR, and immunofluorescent labelling determinations confirmed that the polysaccharides isolated from both fruiting body and mycelium of . unicolor are (1→3)--d-glucans. The obtained (1→3)--d-glucans showed differences in viscosity and similar characteristics in optical rotations. (1→3)--d-Glucans extracted from mycelium and fruiting body of C. unicolor were also used as potential and specific inducers of mutanase synthesis by Trichoderma harzianum. The highest mutanase activity (0.38 U/mL) was obtained after induction of enzyme by (1→3)--d-glucan isolated from the mycelium of C. unicolor, and this biopolymer has been suggested as a new alternative to streptococcal mutan for the mutanase induction in T. harzianum. (1→3)--d-Glucan-induced mutanase showed high hydrolysis potential in reaction with dextranase-pretreated mutan, where maximal degree of saccharification and solubilization of this bacterial homoglucan (83.1% and 78.4%, resp.) was reached in 3 h at 45 ∘ C

In Vitro Antiproliferative and Antioxidant Effects of Extracts from Rubus caesius

The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of different extracts and subfractions from Rubus caesius leaves on two human colon cancer cell lines obtained from two stages of the disease progression lines HT29 and SW948. Tested samples inhibited the viability of cells, both HT29 and SW948 lines, in a concentration-dependent manner. The most active was the ethyl acetate fraction which, applied at the highest concentration (250 μg/mL), decreased the viability of cells (HT29 and SW948) below 66%. The extracts and subfractions were also investigated for antioxidant activities on DPPH and FRAP assays. All extracts, with the exception of water extract at a dose of 250 μg/mL, almost totally reduced DPPH. The highest Fe3+ ion reduction was shown for the diethyl and ethyl acetate fractions. It was more than 6.5 times higher (at a dose 250 μg/mL) as compared to the control. The LC-MS studies of the analysed preparations showed that all samples contain a wide variety of polyphenolics, among which ellagitannins turned out to be the main constituents with dominant ellagic acid, sanguiin H-6, and flavonol derivatives

Variation in total polyphenolics contents of aerial parts of Potentilla species and their anticariogenic activity

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(1→3)-α-<span style="font-variant: small-caps">D</span>-glucooligosaccharides as Elicitors Influencing the Activity of Plant Resistance Pathways in Wheat Tissues

Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.: Fr.) Murrill is an arboreal species of the large-fruited Basidiomycota fungus from the Polyporales, family Laetiporaceae. The cell wall of this fungus is the source of many bioactive polymer compounds, including (1→3)-α-D-glucans. (1→3)-α-D-glucans can be hydrolyzed to shorter compounds, (1→3)-α-D-glucooligosaccharides (GOS), with different degrees of polymerization (DP). The use of GOS obtained from L. sulphureus (1→3)-α-D-glucans, as an elicitor of plant resistance, may be important for biological protection used in sustainable agriculture. In the presented study, GOS influenced the activity of antioxidant enzymes (Catalase−CAT, Ascorbate Peroxidase−APX, Guaiacol Peroxidase−GPX, and Superoxide Dismutase−SOD), lignin and flavonoids producing phenylpropanoids pathways (Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase−PAL and Tyrosine Ammonia-Lyase−TAL), and pathogen-related proteins (with Glucanase−GLUC and Chitinase−CHIT activity) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedling tissues. Other than that, the application of GOS increased the fresh weight of wheat stems and roots by 1.5–2-times, compared to the water control. The GOS at a concentration of 0.05% most strongly increased the activity of APX and GPX, where a 2-fold (up to 6000 U) and a 3-fold (up to 180 U) increase in enzymatic activity in wheat stems was observed, compared to the control. Simultaneously, 0.1% GOS significantly increased the activity of PAL (80 U in stems and 50 U in roots) and TAL (60 U in stems and 50 U in roots), where a 4–5-fold increase in enzymatic activity was observed, both in comparison to the water control and commercial elicitors (chitosan−CHI and laminarin−LAM). No effect of GOS on GLUC activity was observed, but a 1.5–2-fold increase in CHIT activity in plant tissues was noted. The complexity of the influence of GOS on the level of marker enzymes indicates the potential of their application in agriculture. This work is the first report of the successful use of (1→3)-α-D-glucooligosaccharides as an elicitor inducing resistance in the cereal plant (wheat)

(1&rarr;3)-&alpha;-D-glucooligosaccharides as Elicitors Influencing the Activity of Plant Resistance Pathways in Wheat Tissues

Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.: Fr.) Murrill is an arboreal species of the large-fruited Basidiomycota fungus from the Polyporales, family Laetiporaceae. The cell wall of this fungus is the source of many bioactive polymer compounds, including (1&rarr;3)-&alpha;-D-glucans. (1&rarr;3)-&alpha;-D-glucans can be hydrolyzed to shorter compounds, (1&rarr;3)-&alpha;-D-glucooligosaccharides (GOS), with different degrees of polymerization (DP). The use of GOS obtained from L. sulphureus (1&rarr;3)-&alpha;-D-glucans, as an elicitor of plant resistance, may be important for biological protection used in sustainable agriculture. In the presented study, GOS influenced the activity of antioxidant enzymes (Catalase&minus;CAT, Ascorbate Peroxidase&minus;APX, Guaiacol Peroxidase&minus;GPX, and Superoxide Dismutase&minus;SOD), lignin and flavonoids producing phenylpropanoids pathways (Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase&minus;PAL and Tyrosine Ammonia-Lyase&minus;TAL), and pathogen-related proteins (with Glucanase&minus;GLUC and Chitinase&minus;CHIT activity) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedling tissues. Other than that, the application of GOS increased the fresh weight of wheat stems and roots by 1.5&ndash;2-times, compared to the water control. The GOS at a concentration of 0.05% most strongly increased the activity of APX and GPX, where a 2-fold (up to 6000 U) and a 3-fold (up to 180 U) increase in enzymatic activity in wheat stems was observed, compared to the control. Simultaneously, 0.1% GOS significantly increased the activity of PAL (80 U in stems and 50 U in roots) and TAL (60 U in stems and 50 U in roots), where a 4&ndash;5-fold increase in enzymatic activity was observed, both in comparison to the water control and commercial elicitors (chitosan&minus;CHI and laminarin&minus;LAM). No effect of GOS on GLUC activity was observed, but a 1.5&ndash;2-fold increase in CHIT activity in plant tissues was noted. The complexity of the influence of GOS on the level of marker enzymes indicates the potential of their application in agriculture. This work is the first report of the successful use of (1&rarr;3)-&alpha;-D-glucooligosaccharides as an elicitor inducing resistance in the cereal plant (wheat)