Abstract: Objective To isolate and purity the alkali-soluble β-glucan from the cell wall of Candida albicans and to analyze the physico-chemical properties and structure of it. Methods and Results After a standard strain of Candida albicans (IDC1d) was fermented on YEPD medium for 18 h at 28℃, yeast cells were digested with 3% NaOH solution and then crude glucan was extracted and precipitated by alcohol. Crude β-glucans was purified by Sephadex G-200 gel column chromatography. Paper chromatography and gel column chromatography were used to determine the purity of β-glucan, which was shown to be homogenous. The molecular weight of it was estimated to be 89 125.09 by gel column chromatography. β-glucan obtained from the cell wall of Candida albicans was composed of D-glucose only. Conclusion β-glucan is an important component of the cell wall of C.albicans.

Key words: Candida albicans, beta glucan