Protective effects of a neutral polysaccharide isolated from the mycelium of Antrodia cinnamomea on Propionibacterium acnes and lipopolysaccharide induced hepatic injury in mice

Abstract

Mycelia of Antrodia cinnamomea were extracted with chloroform and hot water. A neutral polysaccharide named ACN2a separated from the water extract was purified using 10% CCl3COOH, and repeated column chromatography on HW-65 and DE-52 cellulose. Its structure was determined by chemical and spectroscopic analyses. ACN2a was composed of Gal, Glc, Fuc, Man and GalN (in the ratio 1 : 0.24 : 0.07 : 0.026 : faint), in which an α-D-(1→6)-Gal linkage accounted for 73% of all linkages. The ratio of branch points was about 16% of the total residual numbers, and branches were attached to C-2 of galactosyl residues of the main chain. ACN2a had an average molecular weight of 12.9×105 Daltons, [α]D25=+115° (c=0.44, H2O); [η]=0.0417dl·g-1, Cp=0.2663 cal/(g·°C). The hepatoprotective effect of ACN2a was evaluated using a mouse model of hepatic injury that was induced by Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The administration of ACN2a (0.4, 0.8 g/kg/d, p.o.), significantly prevented increases in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) enzyme activities in mice treated with P. acnes-LPS, indicating hepatoprotective activity in vivo. © 2006 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.