Hot water extract from biomass of heterotrophic mutant green alga Parachlorella kessleri HY1 (Chlorellaceae) was deproteinised, and three polysaccharidic fractions were obtained by preparative chromatography. The low-molecular fraction (1.5 x 10(4)g mol(-1)) was defined mainly as branched O-2-beta-xylo-(1 -> 3)-beta-galactofuranan where xylose is partially methylated at O-4.
Two high-molecular fractions (3.05 x 10(5) and 9.84 x 10(4)g mol(-1)) were complex polysaccharides containing alpha-L-rhamnan and xylogalactofuranan parts in different ratios. The polysaccharides were well soluble in hot water and, upon cooling, tended to self-segregate.
Immunomodulatory activities of the obtained fractions were preliminary tested using ELISA, FACS and ImmunoSpot kits. The polysaccharides increased the TNF-alpha production in melanoma bearing mice with much higher intensity than in healthy mice.
This was in agreement with the FACS results on T and B cells indicating their possibly secondary activation by innate immunity cells.