Pythium aphanidermatum: culture, cell-wall composition, and isolation and structure of antitumour storage and solubilised cell-wall (1 → 3),(1 → 6)-β- d-glucans

• Published in: Carbohydrate research 1992-07, Vol.231, p.293-307
• Main Authors: Blaschek, Wolfgang, Käsbauer, Johannan, Kraus, Josef, Franz, Gerhard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents - isolation & purification; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Carbohydrate Conformation; Carbohydrates - analysis; Cell Wall - chemistry; Fibrosarcoma - drug therapy; Glucans - chemistry; Glucans - isolation & purification; Glucans - therapeutic use; Kinetics; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mice; Mice, Inbred DBA; Molecular Weight; Polysaccharides - chemistry; Polysaccharides - isolation & purification; Polysaccharides - therapeutic use; Pythium - chemistry; Pythium - growth & development
• ISSN: 0008-6215; 1873-426X
• DOI: 10.1016/0008-6215(92)84026-O

Under optimal conditions for the culture of the fungus Phytium aphanidermatum, no polysaccharides were excreted into the medium. The mycelium contained up to 38% of a slightly branched, storage (1 → 3),(1 → 6)-β- d-glucan with a MW of 20 000. The cell=wall polysaccharides of the mycelium comprised 18% of cellulose and 82% of (1 → 3),(1 → 6)-β- d-glucans. Of the non-cellulosic glucans, ∼ 33% could be solubilised by extraction with water at 121°, and they had a MW of 10 000, were highly branched, and contained 6% (of (1 → 6) linkages. Treatment of the cell wall with 0.1 M trifluoroacetic acid released ∼ 50% of the non-cellulosic glucans. The acid-soluble cell-wall (1 → 3),-(1 → 6)-β- d-glucans of lower MW (6000) were still highly branched and contained 14% of (1 → 6) and 8% of (1 → 4) linkages. The storage glucan and the hot-water-soluble cell-wall glucan exhibited strong activity against the Sarcoma 180 in CD-1 mice, whereas the acid-soluble cell-wall glucans were inactive. The hot-water-soluble cell-wall was also active against the DBA/2-MC.SC-1 fibrosarcoma in DBA/2 mice.