Sarcodia suieae acetyl-xylogalactan regulate RAW 264.7 macrophage NF-kappa B activation and IL-1 beta cytokine production in macrophage polarization

In this study, the effects of acetyl-xylogalactan extracted from Sarcodia suieae on RAW 264.7 macrophage polarisation were evaluated. This extracted acetyl-xylogalactan had a monosaccharide composition of 91% galactose and 9% xylose, with polysaccharide and acetyl contents of 80.6% and 19.3%, respectively. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy revealed the molecular weight of the acetyl-xylogalactan to be 88.5 kDa. After acetyl-xylogalactan treatment, RAW 264.7 macrophage polarisation was noted, along with enhanced phagocytic ability. Furthermore, the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was performed and the results demonstrated non-significant alteration in lactate dehydrogenase levels in the treated cells. Next, interleukin (IL) 1β, TNF, and Malt-1 expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages treated with the S. suieae acetyl-xylogalactan was investigated through real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the results demonstrated that S. suieae acetyl-xylogalactan induced IL-1β and Malt-1 expression. RNA sequencing analysis results indicated the S. suieae acetyl-xylogalactan positively regulated cytokine production and secretion, protein secretion, and response to IL-1 activation, based on the observed GO terms. The predicted target genes in the GO enrichment analysis were found to upregulate NF-κB signalling and M0 to M1 macrophage conversion through the observed cytokine production. Thus, acetyl-xylogalactan can positively regulate RAW 264.7 macrophage polarisation.

The antioxidant activities in vivo of bitter gourd polysaccharide

The antioxidant activities of polysaccharide from bitter gourd were studied. It was found that bitter gourd polysaccharide could significantly increase SOD and CAT contents in serum, liver and brain of mice, and reduce MDA levels in serum, liver and brain to a certain extent in vivo. So, bitter gourd polysaccharide should be a potential antioxidant.

The antioxidant activities of balsam pear polysaccharide

The antioxidant activities of polysaccharide from balsam pear were studied. It was determined by gel permeation chromatography that the molecular weight distribution of purified polysaccharide was concentrated near 33582 Da. It indicated that the monosaccharide components were rhamnose, galacturonic acid, galactose, xylose and arabinose. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and Congo red experiments showed that there are C1, C2, C3, C5 links, and stable β-triple helix conformation in aqueous solution. It was found that polysaccharide had good scavenging effect on free radicals. So, balsam pear polysaccharide should be a potential antioxidant.

Comparative Analysis of Carbohydrates, Nucleosides and Amino Acids in Different Parts of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. by (Ultra) High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Evaporative Light Scattering Detector Methods

Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. is one of the original plants for traditional Chinese medicines Trichosanthis Fructus, Trichosanthis Semen, Trichosanthis Pericarpium and Trichosanthis Radix. Amino acids, nucleosides and carbohydrates are usually considered to have nutritional value and health-care efficacy. In this study, methods involving high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD), UV-visible spectrophotometry and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) were established for quantifying carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, stachyose, raffinose and polysaccharide), fourteen nucleosides and twenty one amino acids. Moreover, sixty-three samples from nine different parts, including pericarp, seed, fruit pulp, stem, leaf, main root, main root bark, lateral root and lateral root bark of T. kirilowii from different cultivated varieties were examined. The established methods were validated with good linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery. The results showed that the average content of total amino acids in roots (15.39 mg/g) and root barks (16.38 mg/g) were relatively higher than for others. Contents of nucleosides in all parts of T. kirilowii were below 1.5 mg/g. For carbohydrates, fruit pulp has a higher content than others for glucose (22.91%), fructose (20.63%) and polysaccharides (27.29%). By using partial least-squared discriminate analysis (PLS-DA), Variable importance in the projection (VIP) plots and analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis, the characteristic components of the different organs (fruit, stems and leaves, roots) were found. This analysis suggested there were potential medicinal and nutritive health care values in various parts of the T. kirilowii, which provided valuable information for the development and utilization of T. kirilowii.

The antioxidant activities of phosphorylated polysaccharide from native ginseng

The extraction method and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides from native ginseng were studied. The optimum extraction conditions were as follows: the ratio of material to liquid (g/mL) was 1/25, the extraction temperature was 85 °C, the ultrasonic power was 195 W, and the action time was 60 min. The yield of polysaccharide was 27%. The polysaccharide was chemically modified with phosphorus oxychloride-pyridine to obtain phosphorylated derivative. Antioxidant test showed that polysaccharide from native ginseng had significant scavenging effect on free radicals. It indicated that the phosphorylated derivative had higher scavenging ability to every kind of radicals than the underivatized polysaccharide. The polysaccharide and its phosphorylated derivative had strong antioxidant activity, which could provide scientific basis for the comprehensive utilization and development of the resources of native ginseng.

Synthesis, anticancer activity and cytotoxicity of galactosylated epothilone B

Epothilones are the 16-membered macrolide compounds, exhibit microtubule-promoting activity, have the same anti-tumor mechanism as paclitaxel, and are expected to be the ideal substitutes for paclitaxel. However, natural epothilone compounds have been found to have disadvantages such as high toxicity in vivo, poor selectivity to tumor cells, and susceptibility to drug resistance. Herein, epothilone B was synthesized by fermentation, and it was galactosylated by chemical method. The toxicity in vitro of epothilone B and its galactosylated derivative was investigated by the MTT method. The anticancer activity evaluation in vitro was performed using a method similar to the antibody-directed enzyme-prodrug therapy (ADEPT) method. It indicated that the ratio of cytotoxicity between the free epothilone B and the galactosylated epothilone B was about 150. This would lay the foundation for the targeted treatment of cancer with epothilone glycosides.

Extraction, characterization and antioxidant activities of pumpkin polysaccharide

Extraction and antioxidant activities of polysaccharide from pumpkin were discussed. The crude polysaccharide was extracted with the hot water. It showed that the calcium chloride (CaCl₂) method was ideal for deproteinization. The pumpkin polysaccharide was linked by the α/β-glycosidic bond, and it might contain acetyl groups. Pumpkin polysaccharide was heteropolysaccharide composed of six monosaccharides. In addition, it indicated that pumpkin polysaccharide exhibited good antioxidant activities.