Studies on the constituents of higher fungi of Korea

To develop new potent antitumor substancces with low toxicity from natural products, especially from higher fungi of Korea, the carpophores of some wild basidiomycetes were collected and the antitimor test for their polysaccharides was done. The dried carpophores were extracted with hot water, and from the extracts, crude polysaccharides were obtained by alcohol precipitation. The alcohol precipitated crude polysaccharides were partially purified by dialysis and then used as the samples for antitumor tests. Among tested, the polysaccharide of Laccaria laccata, Trametes sanguineus, Armlliariella mellea, Clitocybe in fundibuliformis, and Xeromphalina campanella respectively showed the inhibition ratio of 75%, 72%, 94% 55%, and 47% when administered i. p. once dailly for ten days at the dose level of 20mg/kg/day into the mice implanted with $10^{6}$ cells of sarcoma 180/mouse. However, those of Craterellus cornucopiodes, Daedaleopsis confrogosa, and Coriolus sp. showed almost no activities.