Structure of a water-soluble heteropolysaccharide from fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus

A new heteropolysaccharide (HEPF4), with a molecular weight of 2.03 x 10(4) Da as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), was obtained from the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus. It is composed of 3-O-methylrhamnose, L-fucose, D-galactose and D-glucose in the ratio of 0.12:1.00:3.27:0.28. Its chemical structure was characterized by sugar and methylation analysis, along with H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy, including NOESY and HMBC experiments for linkage and sequence analysis. The polysaccharide is composed of a tetrasaccharide repeating unit (described in the results section). HEPF4 also contains a minor proportion of glucose and 3-O-methylrhamnose which is believed to terminate the polymer main chain. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.