Unveiling the Structural Characteristics and Bioactivities of the Polysaccharides Extracted from Endophytic sp.

Polysaccharides are abundantly present in fungi and are gaining recognition for their exceptional bioactivities. Hence, the present study aimed to extract intracellular polysaccharides (IPS-1 and IPS-2) from the endophytic and compare their physicochemical and bioactive attributes. The monosaccharide composition analysis revealed the existence of galactose, glucose, and mannose in both the IPS, while a trace amount of xylose was found in IPS-1. Further, FT-IR, H NMR, and C NMR analysis suggested that the IPS-2 was mainly composed of the β-(1→4)-D-Galactose and β-(1→4)-D-Glucose as the main chain, with the β-(1→6)-D-mannose as branched chains. Compared to IPS-1, the IPS-2 showed higher antioxidant activities with an IC value of 108 ± 2.5 μg/mL, 272 ± 4.0 μg/mL, and 760 ± 5.0 μg/mL for ABTS scavenging, DPPH radical scavenging, and ferric reducing power, respectively. In addition, the IPS-2 inhibited the viability of prostate cancer (PC-3) cells (IC; 435 ± 3.0 μg/mL) via apoptosis associated with mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and altered morphological features, which was revealed by cellular staining and flow cytometric analysis. Moreover, no apparent cytotoxic effects were seen in IPS-2-treated (1000 μg/mL) non-cancerous cells (HEK-293 and NIH3T3). Overall, the findings of this study suggest that could be a potent source of polysaccharides with promising antioxidant and anticancer activity.