Functionalities of Tremella fuciformis Polysaccharides Modified with Gallic Acid

Abstract

This research aimed to modify polysaccharides extracted from the edible mushroom Tremella fuciformis with gallic acid (GA) and to complex them with zinc ions. The functionalities of the modified Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides (TFPs) were investigated. Regarding antioxidant activity, TFP-GA demonstrated effective scavenging activity against DPPH radicals, nitric oxide, and hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, TFP-GA exhibited superior reducing ability toward Fe³⁺ and enhanced chelating activity toward Fe²⁺ compared to unmodified TFP. Notably, the TFP-GA conjugate outperformed GA in Fe²⁺-chelating activity. In terms of antimicrobial activity, the TFP-GA-Zn complex showed significantly improved antimicrobial effectiveness against S. aureus and E. coli compared to TFP-GA.

Keywords: Tremella fuciformis; antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; gallic acid; polysaccharide; zinc complex.