Abstract:

The antitumor effect and antioxidant activity of purified polysaccharide from Flammulina velutipes before and
after chelation with Zn2+ were evaluated. To investigate the antitumor effect of the polysaccharide-Zn2+ chelate on the
proliferation of L929 tumor cells, methlthiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) experiments were carried out and the morphology
of L929 cells was observed with different concentrations of polysaccharide. The results showed that crude and purified
polysaccharide at concentrations of 5–50 μg/mL had little impact on the growth of L929 cells, while the polysaccharide-Zn2+
chelate played an important role in the inhibition of cell growth. Furthermore, the supernatant of macrophages co-cultured
with Flammulina velutipes polysaccharides could kill L929 cells. Moreover, the antioxidant activity was improved after
the chelation with Zn2+. This study demonstrated that zinc chelation could enhance the antioxidant activity of purified
polysaccharide from Flammulina velutipes.

Key words: Flammulina velutipes polysaccharide, chelation, Zn2+, L929 cell, antioxidant activity