Structural characterization of β glucans isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill using NMR and FTIR spectroscopy

• β-Glucans were isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill mushroom.
• Presence of β-glucans was evidenced by FTIR.
• NMR, COSY and HMQC showed predominance of β-(1→6) glucans.
• Further studies should focus on biological activity of the β-glucans.

Many interesting biological activities have been reported related to the presence of β-glucans from different species of mushrooms. In this work, β-glucans were isolated from the polysaccharide of the fruiting bodies of Agaricus blazei Murill known as Agaricus brasiliensis. β-Glucans were obtained with a specific procedure using thymol. The isolated material was characterized by FTIR assignments which indicate the presence of polysaccharides and some amount of protein in the obtained precipitate. The presence of β-glucans was evidenced by recording the band around 890 cm−1 relative to the deformation of that bond. 1H and 13C NMR as well as two-dimensional COSY and HMQC spectra were used for characterization of the β-glucans which showed that the isolated material is constituted mainly by β-(1→6) glucans.

β-(1→6) Glucan structure isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide