Wasser S P
Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2002 Nov;60(3):258-74. doi: 10.1007/s00253-002-1076-7. Epub 2002 Sep 10.
The number of mushrooms on Earth is estimated at 140,000, yet maybe only 10% (approximately 14,000 named species) are known. Mushrooms comprise a vast and yet largely untapped source of powerful new pharmaceutical products. In particular, and most importantly for modern medicine, they represent an unlimited source of polysaccharides with antitumor and immunostimulating properties. Many, if not all, Basidiomycetes mushrooms contain biologically active polysaccharides in fruit bodies, cultured mycelium, culture broth. Data on mushroom polysaccharides have been collected from 651 species and 7 infraspecific taxa from 182 genera of higher Hetero- and Homobasidiomycetes. These polysaccharides are of different chemical composition, with most belonging to the group of beta-glucans; these have beta-(1-->3) linkages in the main chain of the glucan and additional beta-(1-->6) branch points that are needed for their antitumor action. High molecular weight glucans appear to be more effective than those of low molecular weight. Chemical modification is often carried out to improve the antitumor activity of polysaccharides and their clinical qualities (mostly water solubility). The main procedures used for chemical improvement are: Smith degradation (oxydo-reducto-hydrolysis), formolysis, and carboxymethylation. Most of the clinical evidence for antitumor activity comes from the commercial polysaccharides lentinan, PSK (krestin), and schizophyllan, but polysaccharides of some other promising medicinal mushroom species also show good results. Their activity is especially beneficial in clinics when used in conjunction with chemotherapy. Mushroom polysaccharides prevent oncogenesis, show direct antitumor activity against various allogeneic and syngeneic tumors, and prevent tumor metastasis. Polysaccharides from mushrooms do not attack cancer cells directly, but produce their antitumor effects by activating different immune responses in the host. The antitumor action of polysaccharides requires an intact T-cell component; their activity is mediated through a thymus-dependent immune mechanism. Practical application is dependent not only on biological properties, but also on biotechnological availability. The present review analyzes the pecularities of polysaccharides derived from fruiting bodies and cultured mycelium (the two main methods of biotechnological production today) in selected examples of medicinal mushrooms.
据估计，地球上蘑菇的种类有14万种，但已知的可能仅占10%（约1.4万个已命名物种）。蘑菇是强大的新型药物的巨大且尚未充分开发的来源。特别是，对现代医学而言最重要的是，它们代表了具有抗肿瘤和免疫刺激特性的多糖的无限来源。许多（如果不是全部的话）担子菌蘑菇在子实体、培养菌丝体和培养液中都含有生物活性多糖。已从高等异担子菌和同担子菌的182个属的651个物种和7个种下分类单元中收集了有关蘑菇多糖的数据。这些多糖具有不同的化学组成，大多数属于β-葡聚糖组；它们在葡聚糖的主链中具有β-(1→3)连接以及抗肿瘤作用所需的额外β-(1→6)分支点。高分子量葡聚糖似乎比低分子量葡聚糖更有效。经常进行化学修饰以提高多糖的抗肿瘤活性及其临床特性（主要是水溶性）。用于化学改良的主要方法有：史密斯降解（氧化还原水解）、甲酸解和羧甲基化。抗肿瘤活性的大多数临床证据来自商业多糖香菇多糖、PSK（云芝多糖）和裂褶菌多糖，但其他一些有前景的药用蘑菇物种的多糖也显示出良好的效果。它们的活性在与化疗联合使用时在临床上特别有益。蘑菇多糖可预防肿瘤发生，对各种同种异体和同基因肿瘤显示出直接的抗肿瘤活性，并可预防肿瘤转移。蘑菇中的多糖不会直接攻击癌细胞，而是通过激活宿主中的不同免疫反应产生抗肿瘤作用。多糖的抗肿瘤作用需要完整的T细胞成分；它们的活性是通过胸腺依赖的免疫机制介导的。实际应用不仅取决于生物学特性，还取决于生物技术的可获得性。本综述分析了在选定的药用蘑菇实例中，子实体和培养菌丝体（当今生物技术生产的两种主要方法）衍生的多糖的特性。
