Review on chemistry and anti-tumor effect of lentinan / 中国药学杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To introduce the progress on the study of lentinan chemistry and anti-tumor effect and provide references for research and clinical applications. METHODS: Reviewed and analyzed many literatures of lentinan, summarized them compres-sively and introduced the progress on the extraction and purification of lentinan, structural analysis and anti-tumor effect in recent years. RESULTS: As the extraction and purification methods for lentinan were different, the polysaccharide compositions and structures were different, and the main forms were homopolysaccharide(glucan) and heteropolysaccharide. And its anti-tumor effects were related to immune enhancement, inhibition of tumor growth effect, synergistic anti-tumor chemotherapy and so on. CONCLUSION: Chemical properties of lentinan is closely related with the anti-tumor effect, and further in-depth research on the structure-activity relationships of lentinan is needed to provide better scientific basis for the comprehensive development and application of lentinan.