Optimized extraction of polysaccharides from Taxus chinensis var. mairei fruits and its antitumor activity

Advancements in the Cultivation, Active Components, and Pharmacological Activities of Taxus mairei

Taxus mairei (Lemée and H.Lév.) S.Y.Hu, indigenous to the southern regions of China, is an evergreen tree belonging to the genus Taxus of the Taxaceae family. Owing to its content of various bioactive compounds, it exhibits multiple pharmacological activities and has been widely applied in clinical medicine. This article comprehensively discusses the current state of cultivation, chemical constituents, applications in the pharmaceutical field, and the challenges faced by T. mairei. The paper begins by detailing the ecological distribution of T. mairei, aiming to provide an in-depth understanding of its origin and cultivation overview. In terms of chemical composition, the article thoroughly summarizes the extracts and monomeric components of T. mairei, unveiling their pharmacological activities and elucidating the mechanisms of action based on the latest scientific research, as well as their potential as lead compounds in new drug development. The article also addresses the challenges in the T. mairei research, such as the difficulties in extracting and synthesizing active components and the need for sustainable utilization strategies. In summary, T. mairei is a rare species important for biodiversity conservation and demonstrates significant research and application potential in drug development and disease treatment.

An Overview of Antitumour Activity of Polysaccharides

Cancer incidence and mortality are rapidly increasing worldwide; therefore, effective therapies are required in the current scenario of increasing cancer cases. Polysaccharides are a family of natural polymers that hold unique physicochemical and biological properties, and they have become the focus of current antitumour drug research owing to their significant antitumour effects. In addition to the direct antitumour activity of some natural polysaccharides, their structures offer versatility in synthesizing multifunctional nanocomposites, which could be chemically modified to achieve high stability and bioavailability for delivering therapeutics into tumor tissues. This review aims to highlight recent advances in natural polysaccharides and polysaccharide-based nanomedicines for cancer therapy.

Extraction of Radix trichosanthis Polysaccharides for Potential Antihyperlipidemic Application

This study focused on the optimization of ultrasound-assisted compound enzyme extraction for polysaccharides (RTPs) from Radix trichosanthis by orthogonal experiment and response surface methodology, and then its extraction kinetics model and antihyperlipidemic activities were studied. The optimum extraction process was as follows: cellulase—1.0%, papain—1.0%, pectase—0.5%, pH—5, extraction temperature—50°C, and liquid-to-solid ratio—30 mL/g; prediction value of RTPs was 7.54%; the experimental yield of RTPs was 7.22%, while 50 minutes was optimized in Weibull kinetics model. Then high-dose groups of RTP extract could reduce the TC, TG, and LDL-C levels and increase the level of HDL-C in high-fat mice, with the ability to lower the MDA content and enhance SOD level.

Current emerging trends in antitumor activities of polysaccharides extracted by microwave- and ultrasound-assisted methods

This overview highlighted the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of polysaccharides extracted by ultrasound- and microwave-assisted solvent extraction methods. The polysaccharide fragments with stronger antiproliferation, antitumoral, and anticarcinoma effects can be identified through purification, fractionation, and bio-analytical assessments. Most of the extracted glucan-based polysaccharides in a dose-dependent manner inhibited the growth of human cancer cell types with cell death-associated morphological changes. Glucans, glucogalactans, and pectins without any cytotoxicity on normal cells showed the antitumor potential by the apoptosis induction and the inhibition of their tumorigenesis, metastasis, and transformation. There is a significantly high association among antiproliferative activities, structural features (e.g., molecular weight, monosaccharide compositions, and contents of sulfate, selenium, and uronic acid), and other bio-functionalities (e.g., antiradical and antioxidant) of isolated polysaccharides. The evaluation of structure-activity relationships of antitumor polysaccharides is an intriguing step forward to develop highly potent anticancer pharmaceuticals and foods without any side effects.

Protective effects of a polysaccharide from Boletus aereus on S180 tumor-bearing mice and its structural characteristics

A polysaccharide from the aqueous extract of Boletus aereus fruit (BAP) was isolated. The antitumor activities of BAP and/or cyclophosphamide (CTX) were investigated using the model of S180 tumor-bearing mice. Results indicated that BAP could effectively inhibit the growth of S180 solid tumors and protect the immune organs. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, and mitochondrial membrane potential analysis demonstrated that BAP could induce the apoptosis of S180 tumor cells. In combination with CTX, BAP exhibited a significant synergistic antitumor effect on S180 cells. Furthermore, a novel polysaccharide, namely, BAPF, was purified from BAP by using DEAE Cellulose-52 column and Sephadex G-100 gel column. Structural characterization revealed that BAPF was primarily composed of mannose, glucuronic acid, glucose, galactose, arabinose, and fucose at a proportion of 12.98:1:16.8:16.48:1.08:9.1. Its average molecular weight was 1.79 × 10⁶ Da. FTIR and NMR analyses demonstrated that BAPF was a pyranose with α-type and β-type glycosidic residues.

Comparison of the effect of extraction methods on the quality of green coffee oil from Arabica coffee beans: Lipid yield, fatty acid composition, bioactive components, and antioxidant activity

In this study, ultrasonic/microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE), microwave-assisted extraction (UAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) were applied to extract green coffee oil (GCO), and the physicochemical indexes, fatty acids, tocopherols, diterpenes, and total phenols as well as antioxidant activity of GCO were investigated and compared. The results indicated that the extraction yield of UMAE was the highest (10.58 ± 0.32%), while that of PLE was the lowest (6.34 ± 0.65%), and linoleic acid and palmitic acid were the major fatty acids in the GCO, ranging from 40.67% to 43.77% and 36.57% to 38.71%, respectively. A large proportion of fatty acids and phytosterols were not significantly influenced by the four extraction techniques. However, tocopherols, diterpenes, total phenols, and the free radical scavenging activity were significantly different among these four GCOs. Moreover, structural changes in the coffee residues were explored by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Overall, the high antioxidant activity of GCO demonstrated that it can be used as a highly economical natural product in the food and agricultural industries.

Reviews on mechanisms of in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activities of water-soluble plant polysaccharides

Degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and antimicrobial resistance are becoming prominent health problems needing utmost public health attention. Curative interventions such as the use of pharmaceutical drugs and alternative plant medicines are increasingly being explored. Plant polysaccharides have gained attention for their promising bioactivities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Bioactive plant polysaccharides are also being preferred for their relatively few side effects compared to conventional pharmaceuticals. The elucidation of the bioactive potential of plant polysaccharides in disease treatment entails an understanding of the factors that determine their biofunctional properties using functional and mechanistic assays. This review summarizes the literature on the composition, structural, functional, and mechanistic determinations of the antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of plant polysaccharides. The outcome of this review highlights the leading trends in the elucidation of the antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of plant polysaccharides and underscores the promising health benefits of plant polysaccharides.

Extraction, Purification, and Biological Activities of Polysaccharides from Branches and Leaves of Taxus cuspidata S. et Z

Taxus cuspidata S. et Z. is an excellent natural source of bioactive polysaccharides and has various biological activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of antidiabetic and antitumor activities of polysaccharides from Taxus cuspidata branches and leaves (TCBL) and to determine the optimum extraction technology of TCBL using a low-temperature and high-efficiency enzyme and ultrasound-assisted coupled extraction (EUCE) method. Optimal technology parameters were determined as follows: an extraction temperature of 51 °C, an extraction time of 33 min, a ratio of material to liquid of 1:19 (g:mL), and an enzyme concentration of 0.10 mg·mL⁻¹. Under the optimized conditions, the polysaccharide yield from TCBL obtained by EUCE was 4.78% ± 0.18%. The four purified polysaccharides (Pe1, Pe2, Pe3, Pe4) from TCBL are mainly composed of arabinose, galactose, glucose, a small amount of xylose, and mannose. This composition was assessed by HPIC analysis. The antidiabetic activity and antitumor activity of polysaccharides from TCBL were assayed in vitro. Among the four purified polysaccharides from TCBL, purified Pe4 had the highest inhibitory capacity against α-glucosidase, and its IC₅₀ value was 123.0 µg·mL⁻¹. Pe1 had the highest antitumor capacity against MCF7 cells and HepG2 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 169.0 and 132.0 µg·mL⁻¹. Pe4 had the highest antitumor effect on human cervical cancer cells (Hela), and its IC₅₀ value was 89.9 µg·mL⁻¹. Pe4 polysaccharide demonstrated a good α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and antitumor capacity against Hela cells. Therefore, Pe4 polysaccharide from TCBL is a beneficial source of potential inhibitors of type II diabetes and human cervical cancer activity.

Ultrasonic/microwave-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Camptotheca acuminata fruits and its antitumor activity

In the present study, an efficient ultrasonic/microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE) procedure for the polysaccharides from the fruit of Camptotheca acuminata (CAFP) was investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions (ratio of liquid to raw material 30 mL/g, microwave irradiation time of 20 min, microwave irradiation power of 570 W and a fixed ultrasonic power of 50 W obtained by the response surface analysis with Box-Behnken design, satisfactory yields of CAFP (6.81 ± 0.04%) were achieved. The development UMAE technique produced higher yields in a shorter time than conventional hot water extraction (HWE): 20 vs. 120 min. In addition, in vivo CAFP at suitable dose is effective on H22 murine hepatoma strains, and CAFP significantly inhibited the proliferation of human oral carcinoma KB, pancreatic carcinoma BXCP-3 and gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells in vitro, indicating CAFP might be suitable for nature antitumor therapeutic agent development.

Separation of the main flavonoids and essential oil from seabuckthorn leaves by ultrasonic/microwave-assisted simultaneous distillation extraction

Volatile essential oils (EOs), non-volatile rutin (RU), quercetin (QU), kaempferol (KA) and isorhamnetin (IS) were effectively extracted and isolated from seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) leaves by ionic liquid-based ultrasound/microwave-assisted simultaneous distillation extraction (ILUMASDE). After optimization by response surface methodology, EOs, RU, QU, KA and IS were separated under the following optimum conditions: an ionic liquid of 1.0 M 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazole bromine salt ([C4mim]), liquid/solid ratio of 12 ml g^-1, extraction time of 34 min, microwave power of 540 W and a fixed ultrasonic power of 50 W. Under the optimized conditions of ILUMASDE, the extraction yields of RU, QU, KA, IS and EOs were 9.18 ± 0.35, 5.52 ± 0.23, 3.03 ± 0.11, 5.64 ± 0.24 mg g^-1 and 0.095 ± 0.004%, respectively. The yield of EOs obtained using ILUMASDE was 1.07-fold higher than that obtained by conventional hydrodistillation extraction (HDE). In addition, the components of the EOs obtained using ILUMASDE and HDE were similar. The extraction yields of RU, QU, KA, IS obtained by ILUMASDE were 1.03-1.35-fold higher than that obtained by the ethanol ultrasonic-assisted extraction (EUAE), ionic liquid-based ultrasonic-assisted extraction (ILUAE) and ionic liquid-based microwave-assisted extraction (ILMAE). And the extraction time used by ILUMASDE was 34 min, which is 14.17%, 56.67%, 56.67% and 85.00% less than those used by HDE, EUAE, ILUAE and ILMAE, respectively. Therefore, ILUMASDE can be considered a rapid and efficient method for extracting flavonoids and EO from seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoids L.) leaves.

Seasonal Dynamics of Metabolites in Needles of Taxus wallichiana var. mairei

Seasonal variations of the phytochemicals contents in needles of T. wallichiana var. mairei due to the effects of growth meteorological parameters were investigated in this study. The needles of T. wallichiana var. mairei were collected from different months and the contents of taxoids (paclitaxel, 10-deacetylbaccatin III (10-DAB), baccatin III, cephalomannine, 10-deacetyltaxol (10-DAT)), flavones (ginkgetin, amentoflavone, quercetin) and polysaccharides were quantified by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and the resonance light scattering (RIL) method. The content of taxoids gave the highest level of 1.77 ± 0.38 mg·g-1 in January, and the lowest value of 0.61 ± 0.08 mg·g-1 in September. Unlike taxoids, the content of flavonoids was the highest in August. The content of polysaccharides reached peak value of 28.52 ± 0.57 mg·g-1 in September, which was two times higher than the lowest content of 9.39 ± 0.17 mg·g-1 in January. The contents of paclitaxel, 10-DAB, 10-DAT and polysaccharides significantly depended on meteorological parameters. The mean of minimum temperature (R = -0.61) and length of daylight (R = -0.60) were significantly correlated to 10-DAB content, while 10-DAT level showed significant correlation with length of daylight (R = -0.70) and relative humidity (R = 0.70). In addition, temperature had significantly negative effect on the content of paclitaxel and a significantly positive effect on that of polysaccharides. This study enriched the knowledge on the accumulation pattern of metabolites and could help us to determine the collecting time of T. wallichiana var. mairei for medicinal use.

Extraction optimization, preliminary characterization and immunological activities in vitro of polysaccharides from Elaeagnus angustifolia L. pulp

In this research, extraction optimization, preliminary characterization and immunological activities in vitro of polysaccharides from Elaeagnus angustifolia L. pulp were investigated. A response surface methodology (RSM) with a Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the extraction process. The maximum EAP yield was 9.82±0.38%, which is in good agreement with the predicted value (9.93±0.24%). Two homogeneous polysaccharides, EAP-1a and EAP-1b with molecular weights of 8.70kDa and 4.39kDa respectively, were prepared by DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-100 columns and characterized by HPLC, HPGPC, and FT-IR. Three polysaccharides (EAP, EAP-1a and EAP-1b) could stimulate macrophages to release NO and enhance phagocytic activities of RAW 264.7 cells in dose-dependent manner. Moreover, there was no significant difference between crude EAP group (400μg/mL) and positive control group (LPS) in effects on macrophages. The results implied that EAP had the potential to be developed as natural medicines or health foods.