Investigation for immune activity of isolated and purified polysaccharides extracted form Agaricus blazei Murill

The basidomycetes fungus, Agaricus blazei Murill has been well known as the biologically active polysaccharides. They do not attack cancer cells directly, but produce their antitumor effects by activating various immune responses in the host. This present study was designed to investigate the immune activity of polysaccharides extracted from fruiting body, culture broth, and mycelia. In order to examine the optimum conditions of polysaccharide production, medium and C/N ratio were examined in flask culture. The fine polysaccharides were isolated and purified by DEAE cellulose and Sephadex CL-6B, respectively. Each fraction was spplied to recognize NO synthesis and TNF-${\alpha}$ for immune activity test.