Identification of galacturonic acid-rich polysaccharide with intestinal immune system modulating activity via Peyer's patch from postbiotics of Phellinus linteus mycelial submerged culture

Interests in the development and exploration of industrial applications of medicinal mushrooms as postbiotics have lately increased. We recently reported the potential use of Phellinus linteus mycelial-containing whole culture extract (PLME) prepared by submerged cultivation as a postbiotic that promotes immune system activation. Here, we aimed to isolate and structurally elucidate the active ingredients in PLME by activity-guided fractionation. The intestinal immunostimulatory activity was evaluated by bone marrow (BM) cell proliferation activity and related cytokine production in C3H-HeN mouse-derived Peyer's patch (PP) cells treated with polysaccharide fractions. The initially crude polysaccharide (PLME-CP) of PLME prepared using ethanol precipitation was further fractionated into four fractions (PLME-CP-0 to -III) by anion-exchange column chromatography. BM cell proliferation and cytokine production of PLME-CP-III were significantly improved compared to those of PLME-CP. PLME-CP-III was then fractionated into PLME-CP-III-1 and PLME-CP-III-2 by gel filtration chromatography. Based on the molecular weight distribution, monosaccharide, and glycosyl linkage analyses, PLME-CP-III-1 was revealed as a novel galacturonic acid-rich acidic polysaccharide and further shown to play an important role in facilitating PP-mediated intestinal immunostimulatory activity. This is the first study demonstrating the structural characteristics of a novel intestinal immune system modulating acidic polysaccharide from P. linteus mycelium-containing whole culture broth postbiotics.

Anti-inflammatory action of herbal medicine comprised of Scutellaria baicalensis and Chrysanthemum morifolium

Abbreviations

JNK: c-Jun N-terminal kinases; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CM: Chrysanthemum morifolium; COX-2: cyclooxygenase-2; ERK: extracellular-signal-regulated kinase; IL-6: interleukin-6; IL-8: interleukin-8; IL-12: interleukin-12; LPS: lipopolysaccharide; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; NO: nitric oxide; NK- κB: nuclear factor kappa B; p38: p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases; PBS: phosphate buffered saline; PMA: phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate; SB: Scutellaria baicalensis; PGE2: prostaglandin E2; TBST: Tris-buffered saline containing 0.1% Tween 20; TIC: total ion chromatogram; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-alpha

Photoprotective Effect of Dietary Galacto-Oligosaccharide (GOS) in Hairless Mice via Regulation of the MAPK Signaling Pathway

This study investigated the suppression of photoaging by galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) ingestion following exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. To investigate its photoprotective effects, GOS along with collagen tripeptide (CTP) as a positive control was orally administered to hairless mice under UVB exposure for 8 weeks. The water holding capacity, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and wrinkle parameters were measured. Additionally, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to determine mRNA expression and protein levels, respectively. The GOS or CTP orally-administered group showed a decreased water holding capacity and increased TEWL compared to those of the control group, which was exposed to UVB (CON) only. In addition, the wrinkle area and mean wrinkle length in the GOS and CTP groups significantly decreased. Skin aging-related genes, matrix metalloproteinase, had significantly different expression levels in the CTP and GOS groups. Additionally, the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases and collagen type I gene expression in the CTP and GOS groups significantly increased. Oral administration of GOS and CTP significantly lowered the tissue cytokine (interleukin-6 and -12, and tumor necrosis factor-α) levels. There was a significant difference in UVB-induced phosphorylation of JNK, p38, and ERK between the GOS group and the CON group. Our findings indicate that GOS intake can suppress skin damage caused by UV light and has a UV photoprotective effect.

Inhibitory Effect of Galactooligosaccharide on Skin Pigmentation

To investigate the effects of ingestion of galactooligosaccharide (GOS) on skin pigmentation, we conducted cell experiments and clinical trials. The effect of GOS on melanin accumulation was assessed in vitro using B16F10 cells. Moreover, melanin and erythema indexes following GOS consumption were explored during a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled study, which included subjects divided by stratified block randomization to placebo or GOS. No cytotoxicity was observed at 70 mg/mL or lower GOS in B16F10 melanoma cells. Melanin accumulation was inhibited at 14 mg/mL or higher GOS. Upon ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, the survival of HaCaT cells (control) was reduced to 69.0% lower than baseline. A protective effect of GOS was observed upon treatment with 14~35 mg/mL GOS; however at 70 mg/mL, cells showed 64% viability compared to control cells irradiated with UVB. Delta values (Δ melanin index), which indicate the difference from the baseline melanin level, were significantly different to placebo (P<0.01) after 8 weeks. In the GOS group, delta values (Δ erythema index), which indicate the difference from baseline erythema level, also significantly differed from the placebo group (P<0.05) after 8 weeks. Our results suggest that intake of prebiotic GOS inhibits skin pigmentation and may represent a novel nutritional approach for skin care.