Biological study on carboxymethylated (1 → 3)-α-d-glucans from fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum

► Water-insoluble, alkali-soluble polysaccharides were isolated from three fruiting bodies of the macromycete fungus G. lucidum. ► The chemical and spectroscopic investigations indicated that the alkali-soluble polysaccharides from G. lucidum were (1 → 3)-α-d-glucans. ► The carboxymethylated derivatives of (1 → 3)-α-d-glucans decreased the cellular metabolism of tumor and normal cells, moreover, had no toxic effects on cervical carcinoma cells but reduced the viability of normal cells.