Structure Elucidation of a Polysaccharide from Umbilicaria esculenta and Its Immunostimulatory Activity

PLoS One. 2016 Dec 20;11(12):e0168472. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168472. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Umbilicaria esculenta has been used as a tonic food in China for several centuries owing to its pleasant flavor and health benefits. In this study, a water soluble polysaccharide, which we designated as UP2, with an average molecular weight of 3.33 × 105 Da, was isolated from U. esculenta cultivated in the Huangshan Mountain, by consecutive hot water extraction and anion-exchange chromatography. Gas chromatography analysis indicated that UP2 contained three kinds of monosaccharides, including mannose, glucose, and galactose at a molar ratio of 1.7:1.0:1.2. Linkage analysis of UP2 revealed the presence of (1 → 6)-linked glucosyl, (1 → 3,6)-linked glucosyl, t-linked galactosyl, (1 → 6)-linked galactosyl and (1 → 6)-linked mannosyl at a molar ratio of 0.7:4.6:4.1:2.2:9.1. Structural analysis determined that UP2 possessed a backbone consisting of (1 → 6)-linked β-D-glucopyranosyl and (1 → 6)-linked α-D-mannopyranosyl residues, which substituted at the O-3 position of (1 → 6)-linked β-D-glucopyranosyl residues by branches of (1 → 6)-linked α-D-galactopyranosyl and 1-linked β-D-galactopyranosyl residues. Immunostimulatory activity analysis showed that UP2 could stimulate the proliferation of RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and all the samples (20-500 μg/mL) were found to enhance nitric oxide production. The highest phagocytic activity of UP2 was observed at 200 μg/mL. Thus, UP2 may be a potential source of biological and pharmacological agents.

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic* / chemistry
  • Adjuvants, Immunologic* / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Ascomycota / chemistry*
  • Carbohydrate Conformation
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Fungal Polysaccharides* / chemistry
  • Fungal Polysaccharides* / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Nitric Oxide / biosynthesis*
  • RAW 264.7 Cells

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Fungal Polysaccharides
  • Nitric Oxide

Grants and funding

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31370371), the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (No. 1408085MC45), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2015HGCH0008) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. Anhui Qiangwang Flavouring Food Co., LTD provided support in the form of salaries for authors [QZ and JL], but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.