Growth inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma by the polysaccharide–protein complex from
Inonotus hispidus
mycelia and the mechanisms
Hongzhen Guo, Bolin Wei, Zhaomei Wang, Liyan Liu, Nodirali Normakhamatov Abstract
BACKGROUND
Polysaccharide–protein (PSP) complexes derived from edible fungi are promising candidates against tumors, offering substantial efficacy with minimal side effects. This study aimed to isolate a PSP from the cultivated mycelia of the edible fungus Inonotus hispidus and evaluate its antitumor potential.
RESULTS
Through activity‐guided fractionation, a highly active fraction, PSP‐1, was attained and characterized as a PSP complex containing 644.8 g kg −1 total sugar and 288.9 g kg −1 protein, with an average molecular weight of 327 kDa. The polysaccharide portion of PSP‐1 was composed of glucose, mannose, galactose, and fucose at a molar ratio of 4.90:2.55:3.35:1.00, and the protein part was composed dominantly of glutamic acid, methionine, and aspartic acid. In vivo , PSP‐1 showed a significant tumor inhibition rate of 36.9 ± 2.3% at a low dose of 100 mg kg −1 in a hepatocellular carcinoma model and doubled the antitumor efficacy of cyclophosphamide. In HepG2 cancer cell culture, PSP‐1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation with an half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) value of 87.9 μg mL −1 . PSP‐1 induced apoptosis via cell cycle arrest through a mitochondria‐mediated Caspase‐dependent pathway.
CONCLUSION
The findings suggest that the I. hispidus mycelium‐derived PSP complex is a promising component in functional foods to prevent the occurrence and inhibit the development of liver tumors, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy drugs. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.