Structural Characterization of Polysaccharides Isolated from Panax notoginseng Medicinal Residue and Its Protective Effect on Myelosuppression Induced by Cyclophosphamide

Isolation, structure, biological activity and application progress of ginseng polysaccharides from the Araliaceae family

Phytopolysaccharides are a class of natural macromolecules with a range of biological activities. Ginseng, red ginseng, American ginseng, and Panax notoginseng are all members of the Araliaceae family. They are known to contain a variety of medicinal properties and are typically rich in a wide range of medicinal values. Polysaccharides represent is one of the principal active ingredients in the aforementioned plants. However, there is a paucity of detailed reports on the separation methods, structural characteristics and comparison of various pharmacological effects of these polysaccharides. This paper presents a review of the latest research reports on ginseng, red ginseng, American ginseng and ginseng polysaccharides. The differences in extraction, separation, purification, structural characterization, and pharmacological activities of the four polysaccharides are compared and clarified. Upon examination of the current research literature, it becomes evident that the extraction and separation processes of the four polysaccharides are highly similar. Modern pharmacological studies have corroborated the multiple biological activities of these polysaccharides. These activities encompass a range of beneficial effects, including antioxidant stress injury, fatigue reduction, tumor inhibition, depression alleviation, regulation of intestinal flora, immunomodulation, diabetes management, central nervous system protection, anti-aging, and improvement of skin health. This paper presents a review of studies on the extraction, purification, characterization, and bioactivities of four natural plant ginseng polysaccharides. Furthermore, the review presents the most recent research findings on their pharmacological activities. The information provides a theoretical basis for the future application of natural plant polysaccharides and offers a new perspective for the in-depth development of the medicinal value of ginseng in the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine.

Multi-layered effects of Panax notoginseng on immune system

Recent research has demonstrated the immunomodulatory potential of Panax notoginseng in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases and cerebral hemorrhage, suggesting its significance in clinical practice. Nevertheless, the complex immune activity of various components has hindered a comprehensive understanding of the immune-regulating properties of Panax notoginseng, impeding its broader utilization. This review evaluates the effect of Panax notoginseng to various types of white blood cells, elucidates the underlying mechanisms, and compares the immunomodulatory effects of different Panax notoginseng active fractions, aiming to provide the theory basis for future immunomodulatory investigation.

Structural characterization of Russula griseocarnosa polysaccharide and its improvement on hematopoietic function

The hematopoietic function of a polysaccharide derived from Russula griseocarnosa was demonstrated in K562 cells, and subsequently purified through chromatography to obtain RGP1. RGP1 is a galactan composed of 1,6-α-D-Galp as the main chain, with partial substitutions. A -CH3 substitution was detected at O-3 of 1,6-α-D-Galp. The possible branches at O-2 of 1,6-α-D-Galp was α-L-Fucp. In mice with cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced hematopoietic dysfunction, RGP1 alleviated bone marrow damage and multinucleated giant cell infiltration of the spleen, increased the number of long-term hematopoietic stem cells, and regulated the levels of myeloid cells in the peripheral blood. Furthermore, RGP1 promoted the differentiation of activated T cells and CD4+ T cells without affecting natural killer cells and B cells. Proteomic analysis, detection of cytokines, and western blotting revealed that RGP1 could alleviate hematopoietic dysfunction by promoting the activation of CD4+ T cells and the Janus kinase/ signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway. The present study provides experimental evidence to support the application of RGP1 in CTX-induced hematopoietic dysfunction.

A Novel Polysaccharide Separated from Panax Notoginseng Residue Ameliorates Restraint Stress- and Lipopolysaccharide-induced Enteritis in Mice

Polysaccharides are rich in Panax notoginseng residue after extraction. This study aims to explore the structural characteristics of PNP-20, which is a homogeneous polysaccharide, separated from P. notoginseng residue by fractional precipitation and evaluate the anti-enteritis effect of PNP-20. The structure of PNP-20 was determined by spectroscopic analyses. A mouse model with enteritis induced by restraint stress (RS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to evaluate the pharmacological effect of PNP-20. The results indicated that PNP-20 consisted of glucose (Glc), galactose (Gal), Mannose (Man) and Rhamnose (Rha). PNP-20 was composed of Glcp-(1→, →4)-α-Glcp-(1→, →4)-α-Galp-(1→, →4,6)-α-Glcp-(1→, →4)-Manp-(1→ and →3)-Rhap-(1→, and contained two backbone fragments of →4)-α-Glcp-(1→4)- α-Glcp-(1→ and →4)-α-Galp-(1→4)-α-Glcp-(1→. PNP-20 reduced intestinal injury and inflammatory cell infiltration in RS- and LPS-induced enteritis in mice. PNP-20 decreased the expression of intestinal tumor necrosis factor-α, NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3, and nuclear factor-κB and increased the expression of intestinal superoxide dismutase 2. In conclusion, PNP-20 may be a promising material basis of P. Notoginseng for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Panax Notoginseng polysaccharide stabilized gel-like Pickering emulsions: Stability and mechanism

In this work, the polysaccharide from Panax Notoginseng (SPNP), a traditional herb in China, was used as an outstanding Pickering stabilizer to fabricate Pickering emulsions. The SPNP was characterized to be a porous network structure with a rough surface surrounded by some nanoparticles. Rheological measurement of the obtained Pickering emulsions demonstrated the formation of emulsion gels. Moreover, the emulsions exhibited excellent storage (14 days), pH (1.0-11.0), ionic strength (0-500 mM), and temperature (4-50 °C) stabilities. In addition, the Pickering emulsions showed a freeze-thaw stability, which is beneficial in food, cosmetic or biomedical applications when they may require freezing for storage and melting before use. Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) results showed that SPNPs effectively adsorbed at the oil-water interface by forming a compact three-dimensional (3D) network structure and multilayer anchoring on the surface of the emulsion droplets, thus inhibiting the droplet coalescence and flocculation. This study provides a kind of Pickering emulsions applicable in food, biomedical and cosmetic industries.

Structural characterization and immunomodulatory activity of a novel polysaccharide from Panax notoginseng

Introduction: Polysaccharides are important components of Panax notoginseng that contribute to its immunomodulatory ability. This study aimed to isolate polysaccharides from notoginseng and investigate the structural feature and potential immunomodulatory activity. Methods: The polysaccharide was isolated from notoginseng by anion exchange and gel permeation chromatography. Its preliminary structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The immunoregulatory function was further investigated in cyclophosphamide induced immunosuppressive mice, murine splenocytes and macrophages. Results: A novel homogeneous polysaccharide (PNPB1) was isolated from notoginseng with the molecular weight of 9.3 × 10⁵ Da. Monosaccharide composition analysis indicated that PNPB1 consisted of Glc (88.2%), Gal (9.0%), Ara (2.4%) and trace GlcA, with the major backbone of (1→4)-linked α-Glcp, (1→6)-linked β-Glcp, and (1, 4→6)-linked β-Glcp. The polysaccharide was found to significantly enhance murine body weight, improve their thymus and spleen indices and increase the white blood cells (WBC). PNPB1 significantly enhanced splenic lymphocyte proliferation, NO and cytokine (TNF-α, IL-2, IL-10 and IFN-γ) production, as well as the phagocytosis and TLR2 expression of peritoneal macrophages, indicating potent immunoenhancement effect. Discussion: These findings provide a theoretical basis for elucidating the structure and immune activity of notoginseng polysaccharides.

Enhancing the antitumor immunosurveillance of PD-L1-targeted gene therapy for metastatic melanoma using cationized Panax Notoginseng polysaccharide

Improved curative effects with reduced toxicity has always been the ultimate goal of gene delivery vectors for tumor immunotherapy. Panax notoginseng polysaccharide (PNP), a natural plant-derived macromolecule, not only has antitumor immune activity but also has the typical structural characteristics useful for gene delivery. In this work, positively charged polyethyleneimine (PEI) was directly grafted to the backbone of PNP to induced its charge reversal and generate a functional gene vector (PNP-PEI). Moreover, a short hairpin RNA targeting the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) was loaded into PNP-PEI to generate a potentially therapeutic nanoparticle (PNP-PEI/shPD-L1). In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that PNP-PEI could efficiently carry the therapeutic shPD-L1 into tumor cells and that PNP-PEI/shPD-L1 could significantly inhibit the expression of PD-L1 and growth of B16-F10 cells. Noteworthily, treatment with PNP-PEI reversed the phenotype of macrophages from M2 to M1 subtype and promoted dendritic cell maturation, which encouraged the host immunity and enhanced the therapeutic antitumor effects. In summary, this study describes a PNP-based gene delivery vector and highlights the beneficial immunopotentiating therapeutic outcomes of PNP-PEI for tumor immunotherapy.