Preparation of a chemically sulfated polysaccharide derived from Grifola frondosa and its potential biological activities

This report describes the preparation, characterization and potential biological activities of a chemically sulfated polysaccharide (S-GAP-P), which was derived from water-insoluble polysaccharide of Grifola frondosa mycelia. S-GAP-P was determined to be a glucan sulfate with the average molecular weight of 28 kDa and the sulfur content of 16.4%. The antitumor and immunomodulating activities of the sulfated derivative were estimated in vitro and in vivo. S-GAP-P inhibited the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells and induced apoptosis, in a dose-dependent manner. And the results from in vivo experiments demonstrated that S-GAP-P significantly inhibited the tumor growth and enhanced the peritoneal macrophages phagocytosis in S180-bearing mice. It is noteworthy that S-GAP-P could accelerate the antitumor activity of CTX and improve the immunocompetence damaged by CTX, suggesting the combination might increase cytotoxic efficacy and decrease toxicity of some chemotherapeutic agents in cancer treatment.