Oxidative Degradation of an Antitumor (l-3)-β-D-Glucan, Grifolan

Abstract

A (1-3)-β-D-glucan, grifolan (GRN), recovered from the peritoneal cavity after 1 d from i.p. injection contained a significant amount of anionic metabolite(s) having lower Mr than the parent GRN. In parallel with this observation, GRN induced peritoneal exudate cells exhibiting a higher level of oxidative burst than the non-stimulated, resident peritoneal cells. Chemical oxidation of GRN by active oxygen species such as (a) ascorbic acid-CuSO4, (b) hydrogen peroxide, (c) hydrogen peroxide-CuSO4, or (d) hypochlorous acid also produced anionic as well as lower Mr degradation products. Under these experimental conditions the structural changes were remarkable and in the order of a