• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.292-297
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• 2007

This study was performed to compare in vitro immune enhancing effects of polysaccharides extracted from cultivated mycelia of Agaricus blazei Murill. Carbohydrate contents of semi-purified polysaccharides were 85.6% and 95.3%, while ${\beta}$-glucan conents were 67.9% and 88.1% for intracellular and extracellular polysaccharide, respectively. Samples were adjusted to the same in their carbohydrate contents before efficacy tests. Both intracellular and extracellular polysaccharide increased nitric oxide (NO) synthesis of macrophage RAW 264.7 in dose dependent manner, and the maximum increase rate was 53.9 and 53.1% in intracellular and extraceltular polysaccharide, respectively. The polysaccharides also increased synthesis of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ in RAW 264.7. For all the 3 cytokines, the increase rate of synthesis was much higher in extracellular polysaccharide compared to intracellular polysaccharide, especially at low concentration. Both polysaccarides increased the proliferation of splenocytes in vitro, intracellular polysaccharide showed increase in dose dependent manner while extraceltular polysaccharide showed increase untill medium concentration ($250\;{\mu}g/ml$). They did not show direct cytotoxicity against cancer cells such as B16F0 melanoma. As results, it was regarded that the both intracellular and extracellular polysaccharide from A. blazei showed immune enhancing effects in vitro, but the activity is higher in extracellular polysaccharide compared to intracellular polysaccharide.