ABSTRACT
We investigated the cellulase-assisted extraction and anti-ultraviolet activity of water-soluble polysaccharides from the root of Flammulina velutipes on Caenorhabditis elegans. A Box-Behnken design experiment with three factors and three levels, including enzymolysis temperature, microwave time, and microwave power, was designed on the basis of the results of single-factor experiments. For improving the polysaccharide yield of F. velutipes root, the following optimal extraction conditions were used: 52.67 degree C enzymolysis temperature, 80s microwave time, and 144 W microwave power. Under optimal conditions, the actual measured value of the yield was 2.01% [w/w] and the predicted value was 2.06% [w/w]. One fraction [FRP-2] was isolated and purified, and its characteristics were analyzed. The average mean molecular weight of FRP-2 was measured to be 2.60×105 Da, and its monosaccharide composition is mainly glucose. The sugar units are present both in the alpha-configuration and beta-configuration. Moreover, FRP-2 exhibited certain antiultraviolet activity to C. elegans when the polysaccharide concentration ranged between 0.05mg/mL and 0.20mg/mL