The excreted polysaccharide of Pleurotus eryngii inhibits the foam-cell formation via down-regulation of CD36

Previous study has verified the polysaccharide from the fruiting body of Pleurotus eryngii (PEPE) is capable of decreasing the lipid content in both of cell-line and mouse model. However, little is known about underlying mechanisms and whether this bioactive polysaccharide exists in submerged culture. Here, we verified the excreted polysaccharides EP and EP-1 from submersion culture of P. eryngii have the remarkable inhibitory effects on lipid accumulation in macrophage-derived foam cells. Structure analysis indicates EP-1 consists of d-types of glucose, galactose and mannose with the main β(1 → 3)-glucan glycosidic linkage branched at O-6 by α-d-glucose while EP digested by β-1,3-glucanase fails to decrease the lipid accumulation, suggesting that the special structure is essential for its function. Expression analysis suggests that EP is able to cause the down-regulation of the scavenger receptor-CD36 on both transcription and protein levels. Most importantly, EP can be obtained by fermentation in a mass-production.