A gas chromatographic method for the determination of aldose and uronic Acid constituents of plant cell wall polysaccharides

Bupleurum chinense DC polysaccharides attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice

Bupleurum chinense DC had hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, and immunomodulatory effect in traditional Chinese medicine. This study was to determine whether the crude polysaccharides isolated from the roots of Bupleurum chinense DC (BCPs) attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in mice. Mice were challenged with LPS intratracheally 2h before BCPs (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg) administration. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected 24h after LPS challenge. Treatment with BCPs reduced lung wet-to-dry weight ratio. The elevated number of total cells and protein concentration in BALF was reduced. The increased level of myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in BALF, and serum nitric oxide (NO) were also inhibited. BCPs significantly attenuated lung injury with improved lung morphology and reduced complement deposition. These results suggested that the effect of BCPs against ALI might be related with its inhibitory effect on excessive activation of complement and on the production of proinflammatory mediators.

Galactoglucomannan Oligosaccharides (GGMO) from a molasses byproduct of pine ( Pinus taeda ) fiberboard production

"Temulose" is the trade name for a water-soluble molasses produced on a large scale (300-400 tonnes per year) as a byproduct of the fiberboard industry. The feedstock for Temulose is predominantly a single species of pine ( Pinus taeda ) grown and harvested in stands in southeastern Texas. Because of the method of production, the molasses was predicted to consist of water-soluble hemicelluloses, mainly arabinoxylan-type and galactoglucomannan-type oligosaccharides, plus minor components of lignin, but no detailed structural study had been reported. The structure and composition of the molasses has now been deduced by a combination of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, size exclusion chromatography, proton and (13)C NMR techniques, and classic carbohydrate analysis. Limited acid hydrolysis released a series of galactoglucomannan oligosaccharides (GGMO) that were selectively recovered from the acid-labile arabinogalactan by precipitation with ethanol. The precipitate was named "Temulose brown sugar" because of its appearance, and is shown to consist of GGMO with a degree of polymerization (DP) from 4 to 13, with the major component being DP 5-8. The structure of these oligosaccharides is a β-1,4-linked backbone of Man and Glc residues, with occasional α-1,6 branching by single galactosyl units.

Race-specific molecules that protect soybeans from Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae

Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae (A. A. Hildebrand) is a fungal stem and root rot-causing pathogen of soybeans. Glycoproteins secreted into the medium of the aseptically cultured fungus have been partially purified by (NH(4))(2)SO(4) precipitation and by column chromatography on norleucine-substituted Sepharose 4B and on DEAE-cellulose. Glycoprotein preparations from P. megasperma var. sojae races 1, 2, and 3 have been tested on four cultivars of soybeans. The partially purified glycoproteins from incompatible races of the pathogen (races that cannot successfully infect the plant), but not those from compatible races (races that can kill the plant), protect soybean seedlings from attack by compatible races. The seedlings are protected by introducing the glycoproteins into hypocotyl wounds of seedlings either 90 min prior to or at the time of inoculation of the wounds with mycelia of one of the pathogens. The glycoprotein preparations are poor nonspecific elicitors of phytoalexin accumulation; the glycoproteins have less than 1.0% of the elicitor activity of the glucans present in the mycelial walls of the pathogen.

Estimations of uronic acids as quantitative measures of extracellular and cell wall polysaccharide polymers from environmental samples

The extracellular polysaccharide polymers can bind microbes to surfaces and can cause physical modification of the microenvironment. Since uronic acids appear to be the components of these extracellular films that are most concentrated in a location outside the cell membrane, a quantitative assay for uronic acids was developed. Polymers containing uronic acids are resistant to quantitative hydrolysis, and the uronic acids, once released, form lactones irreproducibly and are difficult to separate from the neutral sugars. These problems were obviated by the methylation of the uronic acids and their subsequent reduction with sodium borodeuteride to the corresponding alcohol while they were in the polymer and could not form lactones. This caused the polymers to lose the ability to adhere to their substrates, so they could be quantitatively recovered. The hydrolysis of the dideuterated sugars was reproducible and could be performed under conditions that were mild enough that other cellular and extracellular polymers were not affected. The resulting neutral sugars were readily derivatized and then were separated and assayed by glass capillary gas-liquid chromatography. The dideuterated portion of each pentose, hexose, or heptose, identified by combined capillary gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, accurately provided the proportion of each uronic acid in each carbohydrate of the polymer. Examples of the applications of this methodology include the composition of extracellular polymers in marine bacteria, invertebrate feeding tubes and fecal structures, and the microfouling films formed on titanium and aluminum surfaces exposed to seawater.

Iridoid glycosides from the leaves of Sambucus ebulus

Six new iridoid glycosides (1-6) of the "Valeriana type" were isolated from leaves of Sambucus ebulus. The structures were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and chemical degradation methods as 10-O-acetylpatrinoside-aglycone-11-O-[4''-O-acetyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-ribohexo-3-ulopyranoside] (1), 7-O-acetylpatrinoside-aglycone-11-O-[4''-O-acetyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-ribohexo-3-ulopyranoside] (2), 10-O-acetylpatrinoside-aglycone-11-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-ribohexo-3-ulopyranoside] (3), patrinoside-aglycone-11-O-[4''-O-acetyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-ribohexo-3-ulopyranoside] (4), 10-O-acetylpatrinoside-aglycone-11-O-[4''-O-acetyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside] (5), and patrinoside-aglycone-11-O-2'-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside (6). Compounds 1-4 represent the first examples of acylated iridoid diglycosides bearing the uncommon D-ribohexo-3-ulopyranosyl sugar moiety. Compound 6 is the first iridoid glycoside with a 2-deoxy-D-glucopyranosyl sugar moiety.

Isolation, purification and immunobiological activity of a new water-soluble bee pollen polysaccharide from Crataegus pinnatifida Bge

A novel water-soluble polysaccharide was obtained from bee pollen of Crataegus pinnatifida Bge. Two fractions of this polysaccharide, CPP-1 and CPP-2, were first extracted by hot-water and purified. The average molecular weight of CPP-1 and CPP-2 were approximately 3.7 × 10⁵ Da and 7.8 × 10⁴ Da, and their chemical structures were studied by gas chromatography (GC), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, methylation analysis. We evaluated the effects of CPP-1 and CPP-2 on the basis of phagocytosis of macrophage assay, natural killer cells cytotoxicity assay and spleen lymphocyte proliferation assay. The results showed CPP-1 and CPP-2 significantly induced phagocytic rates and phagocytic indexes by peritoneal macrophages. Moreover, these two fractions caused a significant stimulation of rat spleen cell proliferation. At 50 μg/mL, CPP-2 activated NK cells more significantly than CPP-1. These findings suggest that they should be explored as a novel potential immunostimulants.

Structural analysis of a fucoidan from the brown alga Fucus evanescens by MALDI-TOF and tandem ESI mass spectrometry

A fucoidan, a heterogeneous sulfated polysaccharide from the brown alga Fucus evanescens, was depolymerized under solvolytic conditions, and its ethanol-extracted low-molecular-weight fraction was analyzed by MALDI-TOFMS and ESIMS/MS. It was found that the mixture contained unsulfated oligosaccharides including some monosulfated components, which were shown to consist of mainly (1-->3)-linked 2-O-sulfonated fucose residues (from 1 to 4). Minor components of the mixture were shown to contain 2-O- and 4-O-sulfonated xylose and galactose residues. Among them, mixed monosulfonated fucooligosaccharides were detected and characterized: Xyl-(1-->4)-Fuc, Gal-(1-->4)-Fuc, Gal-(1-->4)-Gal-(1-->4)-Fuc, Gal-(1-->4)-Gal. Fucose, galactose, and xylose residues were shown to be mainly 2-O-sulfonated with traces of 4-O-sulfonation. Glucuronic acid was also found as a part of non-sulfated fucooligosaccharides: Fuc-(1-->3)-GlcA, Fuc-(1-->4)-Fuc-(1-->3)-GlcA, Fuc-(1-->3)-Fuc-(1-->4)-Fuc-(1-->3)-GlcA.

Structural elucidation and immunological activity of a polysaccharide from the fruiting body of Armillaria mellea

The water-soluble polysaccharide (AMP), with a molecular mass of 7.8x10(3)Da as determined by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), was obtained from the fruiting body of Armillaria mellea. Methylation, Smith degradation, acetolysis, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and acid hydrolysis studies were conducted to elucidate its structure. The results indicated that AMP consisted of a backbone composed of (1-->6)-linked-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl, (1-->2,6)-linked-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl and (1-->6)-linked-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl residues in the ratio of 3:1:1, and terminated with one single terminal (1-->)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl at the O-2 position of (1-->2,6)-linked-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl, on average, along the main chain. Preliminary tests in vitro showed that AMP has stimulating effects on murine lymphocyte proliferation induced by concanavalin A or lipopolysaccharide in a dose-dependent manner. It is a possible potential immunopotentiating agent for use in health-care food or medicine.

Isolation and characterization of an anti-complementary protein-bound polysaccharide from the stem barks of Eucommia ulmoides

EWDS-1, a homogeneous protein-bound polysaccharide, was isolated as an anti-complementary agent from the stem barks of Eucommia ulmoides. EWDS-1 was identified as a branched proteoglycan with average molecular weight about 2,000,000 Da, composed of Gal, Glc and Ara in the ratio of 2.1:1.0:0.9, along with trace of Rha, Xyl, Man, as well as 3.95% of protein. The linkages of the residues of EWDS-1 were deduced by methylation analysis and NMR technique. Bioassay showed that EWDS-1 inhibited complement activation on both the classic and alternative pathways with CH(50) and AP(50) values of 203+/-20 microg/ml and 45+/-8 microg/ml, respectively. Preliminary mechanism studies by using complement component depleted-sera indicated that EWDS-1 inhibits activation of complement system by interacting with C1q, C1r, C1s, C2, C3, C4, C5 and C9. The results suggested that EWDS-1 could be of promising benefits in treatment of the complement associated diseases.

Anti-tumor and immunomodulating activities of proteoglycans from mycelium of Phellinus nigricans and culture medium

Two proteoglycans, PNW1 and PNM1, were isolated from the mycelium of Phellinus nigricans through submerged fermentation and culture medium, respectively. PNW1 and PNM1 with similar average molecular weight (33 kDa and 29 kDa) were composed of glucose, galactose, mannose, arabinose and fucose in the molar ratios of 3.26:8.77:6.44:1:1.35 and 20.06:8.72:6.94:1:0.76. At the dose of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, PNW1 and PNM1 exhibited anti-tumor activity against mice-transplanted Sarcoma 180 in vivo. However, no direct cytotoxic activity against Sarcoma 180 could be determined. Significant increase in the relative spleen and thymus weight and expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in serum was observed, decreasing the tumor weight significantly. PNW1 and PNM1 could stimulate lymphocytes proliferation and increase production of nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-alpha in macrophages. The results indicate that both lymphocyte and macrophages were activated by preparations of proteoglycans from mycelium and culture medium of P. nigricans. The anti-tumor effect of the proteoglycans is not directly tumoricidal but rather immunostimulating.

Anti-complementary Activities of Exo- and Endo-biopolymer Produced by Submerged Mycelial Culture of Eight Different Mushrooms

The Elfvingia applanata (EA), Hericium erinaceum (HE),Grifola frondosa (GF), Pholiota nameko (PN), Pleurotus eryngii (PE), Trametes suaveolens (TS), Fomes fomentarius (FF), and Inonotus obliquus (IO) could produce the endo- (EN) and exo-biopolymer (EX) in submerged culture. The highest anti-complementary activity of the EN was exhibited by PN (49.1%), followed by HE (38.6%), TS (37.0%),and FF (33.0%),whereas the high activity of the EX was found with GF (59.8%),followed by HE (36.3%),TS (30.8%),and IO (28.8%). The EN of P. nameko (EN-PN) and EX of G. frondosa (EX-GF) were found to contain 78.6% and 41.2% carbohydrates, while 21.4% and 58.8% protein, respectively. The sugar and amino acid compositions of EN-PN and EX-GF were also analyzed in detail.

Chemical characteristics and immuno-modulating activities of exo-biopolymers produced by Grifola frondosa during submerged fermentation process

The immuno-modulating activities and chemical characteristics of exo-biopolymer (EX-GF) produced by a submerged mycelial culture of Grifola frondosa were studied. The EX-GF was fractionated into EX-GF-Fr.I, II, and III by Sephadex G-100 gel chromatography. Anti-complementary activity of EX-GF-Fr.III was highest (71.1%) among them, and its activation system occurred through both classical and alternative pathways, where the classical pathway found to be major one. Lysosomal enzyme activity and nitric oxide production ability of macrophage were also found to be mediated by EX-GF-Fr.III. The molecular weight of the EX-GF-Fr.I, II, and III was estimated to be about 163, 40, and 2.8 kDa, respectively. Total sugar and protein contents of the three fractions were 80.3, 61.9 and 89.3%, and 17.3, 35.2, and 10.7%, respectively. The sugar and amino acid compositions of the EX-GF-Fr.I, II, and III were also analyzed in detail.

Inhibition of pathogenic bacterial adhesion by acidic polysaccharide from green tea (Camellia sinensis)

An acidic polysaccharide CS-F2 from Camellia sinensis was examined to characterize its anti-adhesive effects against pathogenic bacteria, most notably Helicobacter pylori, Propionibacterium acnes, and Staphylococcus aureus. CS-F2 showed marked inhibitory activity against the pathogen-mediated hemagglutination with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) between 0.01 and 0.1 mg/mL, which is lower than the previously reported MIC values for Panax ginseng and Artemisia capillaris. The inhibitory effects of CS-F2 on the adhesion of H. pylori to AGS adenocarcinoma gastric epithelial cells, or P. acnes and S. aureus to NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells, were further assessed resulting in MIC values between 0.063 and 0.13 mg/mL. Importantly, CS-F2 showed no inhibitory effects against Lactobacillus acidophilus, Escherichia coli, or Staphylococcus epidermidis. Our results suggest that CS-F2, which is a pectin-type polysaccharide with a molecular weight of approximately 8.0 x 10(4) Da, may exert a selective anti-adhesive effect against certain pathogenic bacteria, while exerting no effects against beneficial and commensal bacteria.

Isolation and characterization of an anti-complementary polysaccharide D3-S1 from the roots of Bupleurum smithii

The preliminary data from hemolytic assays indicated that the hot-water extract of the roots of Bupleurum smithii had anti-complementary activity. Further bioactivity-guided fractionation led to the isolation of D3-S1, a homogeneous form of acidic polysaccharide. D3-S1 was a branched polysaccharide with average molecular weight about 2,000,000 Da, composed of Ara, Gal and GalA in the ratio of 2.6:1.0:1.2, along with trace of Rha, Glc, Xyl and Man. Methylation analysis and NMR identified the linkages of the residues of D3-S1. Functional analysis showed that D3-S1 inhibited complement activation on both the classic and alternative pathways with CH(50) value of 0.34+/-0.02 mg/ml and AP(50) value of 0.081+/-0.003 mg/ml, respectively. Preliminary mechanism studies by using complement component depleted-sera indicated that D3-S1 selectively interacts with C1s, C3 and C4, but not C1q, C1r, C2, C5 and C9. The results suggested that D3-S1 could be of potential benefits in treatment of the complement-associated diseases.