Isolation and biological activities of polysaccharide fractions from mycelium of Sarcodon imbricatus L. P. Karst. (Basidiomycota) cultured in vitro.

About 200 species of fungi called as ìmedicinal mushroomsî containing biologically activity substances, are currently known (1, 2). The greatest interest in mycochemistry is focused on polysaccharides, e.g., β-glucans, due to their immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Some of them possess antibacterial and antiviral activity. These compounds have been isolated from fruit bodies collected in natural environment or from in vitro cultures (3, 4). The genus Sarcodon (Basidiomycota) comprises some species with therapeutic potential among other things Sarcodon aspratus with antitumor (5ñ7) and Sarcodon scabrosus with anti-inflammatory activity (8). The present studies were conducted on a mycelial culture of Sarcodon imbricatus (L.) P. Karst., and included isolation of polysaccharides fractions and investigation of antibacterial and antiviral activity. Sarcodon imbricatus is popular edible species, common in the south-west Europe. This species is under strict protection in Poland. In the past, some studies of chemical composition of fruit bodies of this species were conducted in our laboratory (9) but there are no reports about in vitro culture conditions and secondary metabolites, expecially polysaccharides, obtained in this system. In vitro cultures of a related species Sarcodon aspratus (Berk.) S. Ito. have been successfully maintained in Korean and Japanese research centers (10). EXPERIMENTAL