Homogenate extraction of crude polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes and evaluation of the antioxidant activity

Edible mushrooms are rich in dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and low in fat (Manzi et al., 2001), and have long been used in folk medicines and health foods. Lentinus edodes, also named Xianggu in Chinese and Shiitake in Japanese, is one of the most widely edible mushrooms on the global market due to its taste and nutritional values (Hatvani & Mécs, 2001). Crude polysaccharides are the most active constituents in Lentinus edodes. Modern medical research finds that, Lentinus edodes polysaccharides are a kind of host defense potentiator, which can increase the number of lymphocytes in body (Ahmed et al., 2011), inhibit the allogeneic, syngeneic and primary tumors (Zakany et al., 1980), and prevent carcinogenesis induced by chemical factors or virus (Suga et al., 1984). At the same time, Lentinus edodes polysaccharides can enhance the resistance of host to different bacteria, parasitic diseases and virus including HIV (Lapis et al., 1989), and reduce the toxicity reaction of radiotherapy and chemotherapy (Wang & Gong, 2001). Mushrooms contain various compounds such as polyphenols and crude polysaccharides, which are recognized as excellent antioxidants (Palacios et al., 2011; Thetsrimuang et al., 2011; He et al., 2012). Studying the antioxidant capacity of mushrooms has begun to take the spotlight in recent researches (Zheng et al., 2005; Sun et al., 2008; Liu et al., 2010; Qiao et al., 2010).