Kiho T, Itahashi S, Sakushima M, Matsunaga T, Usui S, Ukai S, Mori H, Sakamoto H, Ishiguro Y
Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
Biol Pharm Bull. 1997 Feb;20(2):118-21. doi: 10.1248/bpb.20.118.
A fungus of Pestalotiopsis species produced an extracellular, water-soluble polysaccharide (PS-N). PS-N exhibited significant hypoglycemic activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice following intraperitoneal administration and had an effect on oral glucose tolerance in normal mice following oral administration. PS-N ([alpha]D +34.5 degrees in water) was homogeneous on gel chromatography, it is composed of galactose and mannose in a molar ratio of 1:9, and its molecular weight was estimated by gel chromatography to be about 24,000. Its structure was investigated by a combination of chemical and spectroscopic methods. The results indicated that PS-N, a highly branched galactomannan, is composed of beta-(1-->3)-linked D-galactofuranosyl and non-reducing terminal beta-D-galactofuranosyl residues, in addition to alpha-D-mannopyranosyl residues of a yeast mannan type.
