Macrophage-Stimulating Activity of Polysaccharides Extracted from Fruiting Bodies of Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tail Mushroom)

The macrophage-stimulating effect of polysaccharides extracted from Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tail mushroom) was investigated, and their effectiveness was compared with that of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The purified polysaccharide(CV-S2-Fr.I) of C. versicolor obtained by Sepharose CL-6B gel chromatography stimulated macrophage lysosomal enzyme activity by 250% at a concentration of 100 µg/mL, which was higher than that of LPS at the same concentration. When CV-S2-Fr.I was used in combination with interferon-γ, there was a marked cooperative induction of nitric oxide production. However, CV-S2-Fr.I had no effect on nitric oxide production by itself. The proportion of C3-positive macrophages in the CV-S2-Fr.I group increased by 7.2-fold compared with the control group.