Antinociception of β-D-glucan from Pleurotus pulmonarius is possibly related to protein kinase C inhibition

beta-D-Glucan, a polysaccharide isolated from an edible mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius (Fr.) Quel., presented antinociceptive activity in mice. This study evaluated the involvement of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and protein kinase C (PKC) on antinociceptive effect of a (1 -> 3),(1 -> 6)-linked beta-D-glucan (GL) in mice. Intraperitoneal administration of GL potently inhibited nociceptive responses induced by intraplantar injections of capsaicin, cinnamaldehyde, menthol, acidified saline and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Moreover, Western blot analysis revealed that GL treatment also prevented PMA-induced PKC epsilon activation. Collectively, present results demonstrate that GL could constitute an attractive molecule of interest for the development of new analgesic drugs. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.