Extracellular Polysaccharide Production by a Strain of Pleurotus djamor Isolated in the South of Brazil and Antitumor Activity on Sarcoma 180

Author: mycolabadmin
2014-03-10
View Source

Summary

This research investigated how a specific mushroom species (Pleurotus djamor) could be grown to produce beneficial compounds and tested their effectiveness against cancer. The study found that the mushroom extract was highly effective at inhibiting tumor growth in laboratory tests. This has important implications for everyday life: • Provides a potential new natural treatment option for certain types of cancer • Demonstrates how common mushrooms can be sources of powerful medicinal compounds • Shows promise for developing more sustainable and natural pharmaceutical products • Offers potential economic opportunities for mushroom cultivation industries • Highlights the importance of preserving biodiversity for medical research

Background

Natural products have been traditionally accepted as health solutions due to popular beliefs that they have fewer adverse effects. Edible fungi have been widely used as functional foods and their extracts have been studied in natural therapy for prevention and treatment of tumors. Pleurotus sp. antitumor activity has been the focus of several studies. However, information about nutritional requirements and environmental conditions for submerged culture of Pleurotus djamor are still limited.

Objective

This work aimed to enhance extracellular polysaccharides production by Pleurotus djamor UNIVILLE 001 through batch culture using different initial glucose concentrations and pH values, and evaluate the antitumor effect of intraperitoneal administration of P. djamor extract on sarcoma 180 animal model.

Results

The low pH value (3.0) led to a gain of 1.6 g/L in extracellular polysaccharide concentration, while glucose concentration had no significant effect. With 40 g/L initial glucose concentration and pH 3.0, the yield factor of extracellular polysaccharide on substrate and maximum productivity were 188% and 321% higher respectively than at pH 4.0. In the tumor response study, mean tumor volume on day 21 was 35.3 cm3 in the untreated group and 1.6 cm3 in the treated group, showing a tumor inhibition rate of 94%.

Conclusion

P. djamor demonstrated significant potential for extracellular polysaccharide production, particularly at pH 3.0 and initial glucose concentration of 40g/L. The impressive tumor inhibition results suggest a strong inhibitory effect of P. djamor extract on cancer cells, encouraging further research into its potential benefits for treating malignant diseases.

Published in:Brazilian Journal of Microbiology,
Study Type:Laboratory Research and Animal Study,
Source: 10.1590/S1517-83822014005000019