S. Karacsonyi et L. Kuniak, POLYSACCHARIDES OF PLEUROTUS-OSTREATUS - ISOLATION AND STRUCTURE OF PLEURAN, AN ALKALI-INSOLUBLE BETA-D-GLUCAN, Carbohydrate polymers, 24(2), 1994, pp. 107-111
An alkali-insoluble skeletal beta-D-glucan has been isolated from the
fruit bodies of Pleurotus ostreatus. The polysaccharide has a branched
structure consisting of a backbone of (1 --> 3)-linked beta-D-glucopy
ranosyl residues, every fourth being substituted at 0-6 with single D-
glucopyranosyl groups. The polysaccharide contained a small proportion
(7%) of (1 --> 6)- and (1 --> 4)-linked interior residues. The beta-D
-glucan (pleuran) demonstrated efficacy in promoting the survival of m
ice susceptible to bacterial infections.