schizophyllan

Schizophyllan is a high-molecular-weight beta-glucan biopolymer produced by the basidiomycete fungus Schizophyllum commune. Chemically, it is a glucose polymer with a beta-1,3-linked main chain and beta-1,6-linked side chains; in aqueous solution it adopts a triple-helix conformation that influences its rheological properties.

It is produced by fermentation using Schizophyllum commune and purified to yield a water-soluble polysaccharide with a very high molecular weight. In solution, schizophyllan generates high viscosity and can form gels under certain conditions, depending on concentration, temperature, pH, and ionic strength.

Schizophyllan has immunomodulatory activity and has been studied as a biological response modifier. It interacts with innate immune receptors such as Dectin-1 and complement receptor 3 (CR3), leading to activation of macrophages, natural killer cells, and other immune effector functions. Because of these properties, schizophyllan has been investigated as an immunotherapeutic agent and as an adjuvant in cancer therapy, as well as in other experimental settings.

Regulatory and research status: schizophyllan is not widely approved as a standard medical treatment; most applications are in research or regionally limited clinical contexts. It is sometimes referred to as SPG (Schizophyllan) in the literature and has been the subject of clinical trials to evaluate safety and efficacy.