Tumor-inhibitory and liver-protective effects of Phellinus igniarius extracellular polysaccharides

The tumor-inhibitory and liver-protective effects of crude extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) extracted from the liquid mycelial culture of the mushroom Phellinus igniarius were studied in mice. The mice were injected with murine sarcoma S180 and murine hepatoma H22. Crude EPS at 100, 200, 400 mg kg(-1) body weight was administered to EPS groups each day in the twelve consecutive days. The result showed that EPS 200 mg kg(-1) body weight significantly inhibited S180 and H22 at 65.0 and 46.3%, respectively. Moreover, EPS could not only keep the numbers of WBC, RBC, PLT and the concentration of HGB in a normal range, but also normalize the activities of AST, ALT and ALP. For example, in EPS-treated mice, AST significantly reduced with the percentage of A/G reverse in S180 (P < 0.05) and H22 (P < 0.01) when the mice took EPS 200 mg kg(-1) body weight. In conclusion, it was remarkable that P. igniarius EPS exhibited antitumor activity related to dosage and protected liver function by sustaining the blood routine as well as keeping the blood biochemical indexes normal.