| Biography | |
|---|---|
 Prof. Jianyong Wu The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (China) |
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| Title: Prebiotic and anti-inflammatory activities of exopolysaccharides from Cordyceps sinensis Cs-HK1 mycelial fermentation | |
| Abstract: Edible fungi or mushrooms have been widely used in healthy foods and nutraceuticals. Polysaccharides are major active components of edible fungi with notable antitumor, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and various other activities. The fungal polysaccharides have also been recognized as promising prebiotics owning to their non-starch and non-digestible characterisitcs, which can reach the large intestine and be metabolized by the gut bacteria to confer a health benefit. Cordyceps sinensis (syn. Ophiocordyceps sinensis), generally known as the Chinese caterpillar fungus or Dong-Chong-Xia-Cao, is a precious Chinese medicinal fungus. Because the natural caterpillar fungus is very limited and expensive, mycelial fermentation has become the major means for production of the fungal materials. Cs-HK1 is a fungus isolated from natural C. sinensis fruiting body in our lab and can produce significant amount of exopolysaccharide (EPS) in mycelial fermentation. The Cs-HK1 EPS is composed of polysaccharide and protein complexes with a maximum molecular weight (MW) over 107 Da.
In liquid cultures of several Bifidobacterial species, the cs-HK1 EPS showed strong protective effect on the bifidobacterial cells in various conditions such as cold storage over long period of time and exposure to gastric acid, bile and antibiotics. The EPS could be well utilized as a carbon source in human fecal cultures to increase the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and to influence the composition and diversity of the fecal microflora, which may be beneficial for gut health. EPS has also shown strong anti-inflammatory activity in cell culture and animal models, inhibiting LPS-induced release of pro-inflammatory factors NO, TNF-α and IL-1β and gut epithelial tissue injury. These effects were correlated to or dependant on the MW of EPS fractions. The Cs-HK1 EPS is a promising candidate for development of functional foods with prebiotic and anti-inflammation effects.
References | |
| Biography: Prof. Wu completed his PhD and postdoctoral studies on Biochemical Engineering in 1994 at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He is now a professor of Food and Bioprocess Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has published more than 170 peer-reviewed papers in reputed scientific journals, received over 5700 citations and reached an H-index 48 on Scopus. He is an editorial board member for Carbohydrate Polymers and Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry. He has served as a Guest Editor for Carbohydrate Polymers, Applied Sciences, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, and Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry. His current areas of research interest: Bioprocesses for medicinal fungi; Natural and bioactive polysaccharides; Functional foods, prebiotics and gut microbiota; Ultrasound-assisted processes for food and natural products. | |
