Characterization of the novel chemically modified fungal polysaccharides as the macrophage stimulators.

By means of carboxymethylation, a novel water-soluble carboxymethyl chitin-glucan (CM-CG) was prepared from the mycelium of Aspergillus niger, and its ability to stimulate macrophages was assessed and compared to that of the previously studied carboxymethylated glucan (CMG) from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It was demonstrated that single intraperitoneal (i.p.