The surface morphology of Platycodon grandiflorus polysaccharide and its anti-apoptotic effect by targeting autophagy

Polysaccharides from Platycodon grandiflorum: A review of their extraction, structures, modifications, and bioactivities

Platycodon grandiflorum (P. grandiflorum) has long been used as a food and traditional herbal medicine. As a food, P. grandiflorum is often transformed into pickles for consumption, and as a traditional Chinese medicine, P. grandiflorum clears the lung, nourishes the pharynx, dispels phlegm, and discharges pus. Polysaccharides are among the main active components of P. grandiflorum. Recent literature has described the preparation, identification, and pharmacological activity of these polysaccharides. Studies have shown that these polysaccharides exhibit a variety of significant biological effects in vitro and in vivo, such as immune stimulation and antioxidant, anti-liver injury, anti-apoptosis and antitumour effects. However, there is no systematic summary of the related research articles on P. grandiflorum polysaccharide, which undoubtedly brings some difficulties to the future research. The purpose of this review is to comprehensively describe research progress on the extraction, purification, structural characterization, modification, and biological activity of P. grandiflorum polysaccharides. The shortcomings of recent research are summarized, further research on their biological activity is proposed to provide new reference value for the application of P. grandiflorum polysaccharides in drugs and health products in the future.

Platycodon grandiflorus polysaccharide inhibits the inflammatory response of 3D4/21 cells infected with PCV2

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection cause multi-systemic inflammation in pigs. Platycodon grandiflorus polysaccharide (PGPSt) has been reported to have the effects of immune regulation and disease resistance. Nevertheless, the role and mechanism of PGPSt in the inflammatory response of 3D4/21 cells induced by PCV2 infection remain unclear. The present study aims to investigate effects of PGPSt on inflammatory response and its possible underlying mechanisms in vitro models. Cells were treated with PCV2 for 36 h to construct a cell inflammation model. The 3D4/21 cell lines were pretreated with or without PGPSt, and the changes of inflammation-related markers and the signaling pathway were detected by CCK-8, ELISA, qPCR and Western blot. The results showed that PGPSt was non-toxic to cells and protected PCV2-infected cells from inflammatory damage. PGPSt could significantly inhibit the high acetylation of histone H3 (AcH3) and histone H4 (AcH4), down-regulate HAT and up-regulate HDAC activity, and reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory enzymes iNOS and COX-2 proteins levels. Then the levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly inhibited, and the level of IL-10 was promoted. We also observed that PGPSt inhibited the phosphorylation of p65, p38 and Erk1/2, which subsequently inhibited nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 to express pro-inflammatory factors. In conclusion, PGPSt can reduce the inflammatory response by regulating histone acetylation, reducing the release of inflammatory factors, reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory enzymes, and inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways. This suggests that PGPSt had an anti-inflammatory effect on the inflammatory response caused by PCV2 infection, which provided theoretical data support for the research.

Preparation methods, structural characteristics, and biological activity of polysaccharides from Platycodon grandiflorus

Platycodon grandiflorus (P. grandiflorus), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb used for both medicine and food, has a long history of treating respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other lung-related diseases. The therapeutic effects of P. grandiflorus are attributed to its chemical components, including polysaccharides. Among these components, Platycodon grandiflorus polysaccharides (PGP) are recognized as one of the most important and abundant active ingredients, exhibiting various biological activities such as prebiotic, antioxidant, antiviral, anticancer, antiangiogenic, and immune regulatory properties. Incorporating the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, carrier concepts, and modern targeted drug delivery technologies, PGP can influence the target sites and therapeutic effects of other drugs while also serving as a drug carrier for targeted and precise treatments. Therefore, it is essential to provide a comprehensive review of the extraction, separation, purification, physicochemical properties, and biological activities of PGP. In the future, by integrating new concepts, technologies, and processes, further references and guidance can be provided for the comprehensive development of PGP. This will contribute to the advancement of P. grandiflorus in various fields such as pharmaceuticals, health products, and food.

Recent advances in Platycodon grandiflorum polysaccharides: Preparation techniques, structural features, and bioactivities

Platycodon grandiflorum, a globally recognized medicinal and edible plant, possesses significant nutritional value and pharmacological value. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has the effects of tonifying the spleen and replenishing the Qi, moistening the lung and relieving the cough, clearing the heat and detoxifying, and relieving the pain. Accumulating evidence has revealed that the polysaccharides from P. grandiflorum (PGPs) are one of the major and representative biologically active macromolecules and have diverse biological activities, such as immunomodulatory activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-tumor activity, regulation of the gut microbiota, anti-oxidant activity, anti-apoptosis activity, anti-angiogenesis activity, hypoglycemic activity, anti-microbial activity, and so on. Although the polysaccharides extracted from P. grandiflorum have been extensively studied for the extraction and purification methods, structural characteristics, and pharmacological activities, the knowledge of their structures and bioactivity relationship, toxicologic effects, and pharmacokinetic profile is limited. The main purpose of the present review is to provide comprehensively and systematically reorganized information on extraction and purification, structure characterizations, and biological functions as well as toxicities of PGPs to support their therapeutic potentials and sanitarian functions. New valuable insights for future research regarding PGPs were also proposed in the fields of therapeutic agents and functional foods.