Cryoprotective Properties of the Polysaccharide Fraction of the Mushroom Hericium erinaceus BP 16

Abstract The natural isolate of xylotrophic basidiomycetes Hericium erinaceus BP 16 was cultivated artificially to produce fruiting bodies from which the polysaccharide-containing fraction (PF) was isolated by extraction with hot water (70°C), followed by precipitation with 96% ethanol. Residues of rhamnose, fructose, xylose, arabinose, mannose, glucose, and galactose in the ratio of 7 : 8 : 1 : 19 : 14 : 26 : 27, respectively, were identified in the composition of the PF carbohydrate chains. The effect of adding PF to aqueous solutions of cryoprotectants during water freezing in human venous blood during its cryopreservation has been demonstrated. It was found that the presence of PF (0.25%) in a glycerin-containing (3.5%) preservative ensures the safety of human nuclear blood cells at −20 and −80°C, which indicated the cryoprotective activity of PF H. erinaceus BP 16. Thus, this property of PF may be used in the development of new substances to freeze biological samples.