Hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic properties of peach gum polysaccharides

Hepatoprotective effects of peach gum polysaccharides against alcoholic liver injury: moderation of oxidative stress and promotion of lipid metabolism

Natural polysaccharides extracted from plants have received increasing attention due to their rich bioactivity. In our study, peach gum polysaccharides (PGPs) were extracted by water extraction-alcohol precipitation method. PGPs are typical pyranose polysaccharides with a mean molecular weight of 3.68 × 106 g/mol. The antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective capacity of PGPs were studied. In vitro, assays showed that PGPs scavenged DPPH, OH, and O2- in a dose-dependent manner. PGPs exhibited antioxidative properties against alcohol-induced HL7702 cells, as evidenced by the normalization of MDA, SOD, ROS, and GSH levels. To further elucidate the hepatoprotective mechanism of PGPs, we carried out in vivo experiments in male mice. PGPs exerted hepatoprotective effects in alcohol liver disease (ALD) mice by exerting antioxidant effects, decreasing the inflammatory response and modulating lipid metabolism. In addition, metabolomic analysis indicated that PGPs mainly regulate D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis to promote hepatic metabolism and maintain body functions. Overall, this study revealed that the hepatoprotective mechanism of PGPs against ALD might be associated with the regulation of oxidative stress and lipid metabolism.

The incorporation of peach gum polysaccharide into soy protein based microparticles improves probiotic bacterial survival during simulated gastrointestinal digestion and storage

The objective of this research was to investigate the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and storage properties of Lactobacillus plantarum 550 encapsulated in soy protein isolate (SPI) and peach gum polysaccharide (PG) through spray drying. High survival rates (>8.1 Log CFU/g) were obtained for all encapsulation formulas containing PG. Combination of SPI and PG showed positive effects on both gastric resistance and storage stability of cells. Among the formulas tested, sample of SPI:PG = 3:1 showed the highest survival (7.88 ± 0.12 Log CFU/g), corresponding to the strongest electrostatic interaction between SPI and PG. With PG content increasing, the storage stability of probiotic was also enhanced, as PG could reduce the moisture content within microcapsules as well as scavenge free radicals generated during storage. In conclusion, the current study demonstrates that SPI combined with PG may provide effective protection to cells not only during spray drying, but also during storage and gastrointestinal digestion.

Optimized preparation of eugenol microcapsules and its effect on hepatic steatosis in HepG2 cells

This study was aimed at evaluating the potential of peach gum (PG) and gelatin in the microencapsulation of eugenol and the intervention of eugenol microcapsules on hepatic steatosis in vitro. Response surface method (RSM) was used to optimize the encapsulation conditions of eugenol microcapsules. The microcapsules were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and release behavior in vitro was determined. The effect of eugenol microcapsules on free fatty acids (FFA) treated hepatocellular cells (HepG₂) cells was evaluated by oil red O staining and intracellular total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) determination. The results showed that the optimal encapsulation conditions were as follows: the PG-gelatin ratio was 1.6:1.4, the core-wall ratio was 1.6:1.4, the pH was 4 and the emulsification speed was 9000 r/min. The optimized microcapsules were smooth spherical with a size of about 3.09 ± 0.58 μm and the encapsulation was confirmed by FT-IR. In vitro release behavior showed that eugenol microcapsules could be released stably in a neutral environment for 72 h. Oil red O staining showed that 50 and 100 μM eugenol microcapsules could significantly inhibit the lipid accumulation and reduce the TC and TG in steatotic HepG₂ cells induced by FFA. Therefore, PG and gelatin can be used as excellent carriers for the microencapsulation of volatile compounds in the field of biomedical industry, and eugenol microcapsules is a promising preparation for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Dietary Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide ameliorates the growth performance and innate immunity of juvenile crucian carp (Carassius auratus)

This study aimed to explore the effects of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide (AMP) on the growth and innate immunity of crucian carp (Carassius auratus). Crucian carps were randomly divided into a control group (fed with basal diet) and three AMP groups (received basal diet supplemented with 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg AMP). After 60 days of culture, the crucian carps from each group were weighed, and their immune indexes were measured. Another batch crucian carps from each group was injected with 0.15 ml of 10⁷ CFU/ml Aeromonas hydrophila. The body weight gain, feed conversion rate, specific growth rate and digestive enzyme activity of the crucian carps in the low and middle doses of AMP groups were higher than those in the control group. The AMP groups had significantly higher survival rate and alkaline phosphatase level but lower glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic-alanine transaminase and serum bacteria number compared with the control group. The optimal dose of dietary AMP required for the maximum growth of crucian carp was 100 mg/kg. These results showed that AMP could promote the growth of crucian carps, improve their disease resistance and thus may be developed as a dietary supplement.

Facile Functionalization of Natural Peach Gum Polysaccharide with Multiple Amine Groups for Highly Efficient Removal of Toxic Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) Ions from Water

The development of low-cost adsorbent with excellent adsorption property remains a big challenge. Herein, the functionalization of natural peach gum polysaccharide (PGP) with multiple amine groups for the removal of toxic Cr(VI) ions from water was studied. The obtained PGP-NH₂ gel exhibited high-removal efficiency (>99.5%) toward Cr(VI) ions, especially with relatively low initial concentration of Cr(VI) ions (≤250 mg/L). The influences of pH, ionic strength, contact time, initial concentration, and temperature on the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions were systematically investigated. The PGP-NH₂ gel showed rapid adsorption rate and could reach adsorption equilibrium within about 40 min. The Cr(VI) ion uptake process could be described by pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. The maximum adsorption capacity of PGP-NH₂ gel could reach 188.32 mg/g. Thermodynamic investigation results indicated the spontaneous and exothermic characteristic of the uptake process. Moreover, the PGP-NH₂ gel also exhibited favorable reusability, and 135.52 mg/g of adsorption capacity was retained even after being reused for five times. Considering its low cost and superior uptake property, the PGP-NH₂ gel holds a great promise for employing as an adsorbent to treat Cr(VI) ion-containing wastewater.