Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of intracellular polysaccharide from Pleurotus eryngii SI-04

• Two major fractions (IPS-1 and IPS-2) of IPS were obtained.
• Characterizations of IPS and its fractions were processed.
• IPS-2 was an acidic polysaccharide with antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects.
• Findings indicated that IPS-2 had potential effects in functional foods.

In present study, the intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) and its two fractions of IPS-1 and IPS-2 were obtained and purified by DEAE-52 cellulose chromatography from Pleurotus eryngii SI-04 mycelia, and their hepatoprotective effects were also investigated. The results showed that the IPS-2 had superior hepatoprotective effects by increasing the serum enzyme activities and bilirubin (BIL) levels, decreasing the serum albumin (ALB) and triglyceride (TG) levels, improving the hepatic antioxidant status, and ameliorating the hepatic structure damage. Furthermore, the monosaccharide composition and main bond types were also analyzed. These conclusions demonstrated that the both IPS and its fractions might be suitable for functional foods and natural drugs in preventing the acute liver damage.