Simultaneous Use of Stimulatory Agents to Enhance the Production and Hypoglycaemic Activity of Polysaccharides from Inonotus obliquus by Submerged Fermentation

Author: mycolabadmin
2019-12-02
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Summary

This research explores how to improve the production and effectiveness of beneficial compounds from the medicinal mushroom Inonotus obliquus, commonly known as chaga. Scientists found that adding certain stimulating agents during the mushroom’s growth significantly increased the production of beneficial polysaccharides that could help manage blood sugar levels. This discovery could lead to more efficient production of natural diabetes treatments. Impacts on everyday life: • Could lead to more affordable and effective natural diabetes treatments • Demonstrates new ways to produce beneficial compounds from medicinal mushrooms more efficiently • Provides scientific backing for traditional medicinal uses of chaga mushroom • Could help make natural medicine production more sustainable and cost-effective • Offers potential new approaches for developing blood sugar management supplements

Background

Inonotus obliquus is an edible fungus with medicinal properties used since the 16th century to treat various conditions including gastrointestinal cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The fungus contains bioactive compounds like polysaccharides, triterpenoids, and steroids that exhibit multiple biological activities including hypoglycemic, antioxidant, immune-stimulating and antitumor effects. Liquid submerged fermentation has become widely used for culturing I. obliquus due to its shorter cycle, higher yield and lower cost, but current methods result in low polysaccharide yields.

Objective

This study aimed to determine the effect of applying different stimulatory agents (VB6, VB1, betulin and birch extract) to liquid cultured Inonotus obliquus on the simultaneous accumulation of exo-polysaccharides (EPS) and their monosaccharide composition, with the goal of enhancing both production and bioactivity of the polysaccharides.

Results

All four stimulatory agents significantly increased the inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase of EPS compared to the control, with VB1 showing the strongest effect (IC50 value 24.34 μg/mL). VB6 produced maximum mycelial biomass and EPS yields at 4 μg/mL concentration, increasing by 50.79% and 114.46% respectively. Betulin significantly increased both EPS yield and activity. Birch extract showed strong stimulatory effects on mycelial growth and polysaccharide activity. The addition of different stimulatory agents altered the monosaccharide composition of the polysaccharides, which correlated with their biological activity.

Conclusion

The addition of stimulatory agents provides a new regulatory method for polysaccharide biosynthesis in I. obliquus that can promote mycelium growth and EPS production while significantly increasing α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The agents significantly affect the monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides, resulting in different activities. This approach provides an experimental basis for industrial-scale production of high-activity polysaccharides from I. obliquus.

Published in:Molecules,
Study Type:Laboratory Research,
Source: 10.3390/molecules24234400