Extraction, structural identification and anti-tumor activity of two Cordyceps militaris polysaccharides evaluated by S180 tumor-bearing mice

In this study, we extracted and isolated two polysaccharides with molecular weights of 2.28 × 104 Da and 2.71 × 103 Da from Cordyceps militaris, named CMP-90 and CMP-E, respectively. Structural characterization revealed that CMP-90 consists of six glycosidic bonds, Glcp-(1→, Galp-(1→, →3)-Glcp-(1→, →6)-Glcp-(1→, Manp-(1→, and →4,6)-Manp-(1→. CMP-E consists of →4)-Galp-(1→, →4)-Glcp-(1→, →6)-Glcp-(1→, Glcp-(1→, →3)-Glcp-(1→, →2,3,6)-Glcp-(1→, and →2)-Glcp-(1→ glycosidic bonds. Animal experiments demonstrated that both polysaccharides were able to increase immune cell viability, regulate the ratio of lymphocyte subpopulations, and increase the levels of serum cytokines (TNF-α, IL-2, and IFN-γ) by improving the status of immune organs in loaded tumor-bearing mice. CMP-90 and CMP-E were also able to activate caspase-mediated apoptosis to cause apoptosis of S180 cells through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which was blocked at the G1 phase. The above experimental results suggest that Cordyceps militaris polysaccharides have the potential to become a functional agent for sarcoma.