Volume 42, 2014, Pages 117–151
Chapter 5 – Isolation, Characterization, and Biological Activities of Polysaccharides from Medicinal Plants and Mushrooms
- Available online 5 March 2014
Abstract
Polysaccharides
from medicinal plants and mushrooms form a major class of bioactive
compounds with a wide range of pharmacological activities. Some of their
biological activities include antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antitumor,
gastrointestinal protection, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective
effects. Immunomodulatory and antitumor activities of polysaccharides,
from medicinal plants and mushrooms, are of special interest in this
review. The epidermal growth factor receptor molecules, such as HER
family receptors, play a critical role in the formation and growth of
cancer. Rational development of targeted therapeutic agents requires a
clear understanding of cancer at the molecular level. This chapter
therefore attempts to provide a molecular basis of cancer formation,
development, and growth. This chapter then provides strategies for
rational screening programs for the discovery of targeted cancer
therapeutics. Major part of the plant-based polysaccharide research in
biomedical arena has so far been on crude extracts or partially purified
polysaccharides. To understand the precise function of plant/mushroom
polysaccharides in immunomodulatory and antitumor mechanism, there is an
urgent need for the development of improved separation and purification
techniques that will allow a study of detailed structure–function
relationship. A review of literature on separation methods is provided
in this chapter, which is followed by suggestion for novel strategies
for the purification of polysaccharides extracted from plant/mushroom
sources. Methods for structural characterization of bioactive
polysaccharides will then be highlighted after a brief discussion on
structure–activity relationship. The mechanism of action of plant
polysaccharides as anticancer agents is then briefly discussed. Finally,
this chapter provides possible directions for future research in this
important area.
Keywords
- Plants;
- Mushrooms;
- Polysaccharides;
- Characterization;
- Bioactivities
