A simple and effective method using macroporous resins for the simultaneous decoloration and deproteinisation of Cordyceps militaris polysaccharides

Nutritive profile, pharmaceutical potentials, and structural analysis of multifunctional bioactive fungal polysaccharides-A review

Asian nations have long used edible fungi as food and medicine. Polysaccharides are among the main building units of the cell walls of fungi. Fungal polysaccharides have been documented in the medicinal and industrial sectors as products with a vast array of various biological activities and applications such as antitumor, antioxidant, anticancer, immunomodulation, and antiviral activities, etc. The goal of this review is to give insights into the various biological activities of mushroom polysaccharides and their potential as a medicine for human health. The extraction, purity, and structural analysis of fungal polysaccharides were also reviewed in this work. Also, future prospective, and challenges for fungal polysaccharides in pharmaceutical applications can be found in this review. Overall, this review serves as a valuable resource in exploring the therapeutic potential and applications of fungal polysaccharides. By building upon the existing knowledge base and addressing critical research gaps, researchers can find new opportunities for utilizing fungal polysaccharides as valuable therapeutic agents and functional ingredients in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and biotechnology.

Cordyceps militaris polysaccharides modulate gut microbiota and improve metabolic disorders in mice with diet-induced obesity

BACKGROUND

Cordyceps militaris is an edible and medicinal fungus, and its polysaccharides are among its main pharmacological components. They can display immunomodulation, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-hypolipidemic, and other functions. The anti-obesity effect of C. militaris polysaccharides (CMP) is not yet fully understood, however.

RESULTS

In this study, a CMP diet intervention was applied over a 4 week period to mice with obesity induced by a high-fat diet (HFD), followed by profiling of obesity-induced dyslipidemia, low-grade inflammation, and gut dysbiosis. The results suggested that CMP could significantly reduce HFD-induced obesity, alleviate obesity-induced hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance, and ameliorate systemic inflammation, showing a promising ability to protect mice from obesity. Further analyses revealed that CMP could regulate obesity-induced gut dysbiosis by restoring the phylogenetic diversity of gut microbiota. It could also increase the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria, while down-regulating the level of bacteria that were positively related to the development of obesity. A correlation analysis showed that Helicobacter, Allobaculum, Clostridium XVIII, Parabacteroides, Ligilactobacillus, Faecalibaculum, Adlercreutzia, and Mediterraneibacter were positively related to obese phenotypes.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the potential of CMP as a prebiotic agent to protect obese individuals from metabolic disorders and gut dysbiosis. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Decoloration and alkaloid enrichment of Dactylicapnos scandens extracts based on the use of strong anion-exchange resins in tandem with strong cation-exchange silica-based materials

Alkaloids are natural bioactive ingredients but are usually present in low amounts in plant extracts. In addition, the dark color of plant extracts increases the difficulty in separation and identification of alkaloids. Therefore, effective decoloration and alkaloid enrichment methods are necessary for purification and further pharmacological studies of alkaloids. In this study, a simple and efficient strategy is developed for the decoloration and alkaloid enrichment of Dactylicapnos scandens (D. scandens) extracts. In feasibility experiments, we evaluated two anion-exchange resins and two cation-exchange silica-based materials with different functional groups using a standard mixture composed of alkaloids and nonalkaloids. By virtue of its high adsorbability of nonalkaloids, the strong anion-exchange resin PA408 is considered a better choice for the removal of nonalkaloids, and the strong cation-exchange silica-based material HSCX was selected for its great adsorption capacity for alkaloids. Furthermore, the optimized elution system was applied for the decoloration and alkaloid enrichment of D. scandens extracts. Nonalkaloid impurities in the extracts were removed by the use of PA408 in tandem with HSCX treatment, and the total alkaloid recovery, decoloration and impurity removal ratios are determined to be 98.74%, 81.45% and 87.33%, respectively. This strategy can contribute to further alkaloid purification and pharmacological profiling of D. scandens extracts, as well as other plants with medicinal value.

Polysaccharides from fungi: A review on their extraction, purification, structural features, and biological activities

Fungi, as the unique natural resource, are rich in polysaccharides, proteins, fats, vitamins, and other components. Therefore, they have good medical and nutritional values. Polysaccharides are considered one of the most important bioactive components in fungi. Increasing researches have confirmed that fungal polysaccharides have various biological activities, such as antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, hepatoprotective, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and radioprotective activities. Consequently, the research progresses and future prospects of fungal polysaccharides must be systematically reviewed to promote their better understanding. This paper reviewed the extraction, purification, structure, biological activity, and underlying molecular mechanisms of fungal polysaccharides. Moreover, the structure-activity relationships of fungal polysaccharides were emphasized and discussed. This review can provide scientific basis for the research and industrial utilization of fungal polysaccharides.

Gentiana straminea Maxim. polysaccharide decolored via high-throughput graphene-based column and its anti-inflammatory activity

Gentiana straminea Maxim. exhibits various biological activities. However, the purification and functions of polysaccharides in Gentiana straminea Maxim. have never been reported. Herein, by proposing a flexible 3D graphene-based decoloration column (3DD column), Gentiana straminea Maxim. polysaccharide (GMP) was high-throughput obtained and its anti-inflammatory activity was investigated. Benefiting from the large macroporous network of 3D NH₂-graphene oxide hydrogel with selective adsorption towards pigments, the 3DD column exhibits high decoloration ratio (96.41%). In addition, the 3DD column provides superior practical functionality as compared to the traditional approaches, which are time-consuming and need toxic solvents, and exhibiting widespread-application for the purification of polysaccharide from other common plant species. More importantly, the decolored GMP as a natural product has promising anti-inflammatory activity on RAW264.7 cells without negative impact on cell viability. Overall, this work reveals a new functional polysaccharides and provides a flexible approach for polysaccharide decoloration, exhibiting a promising prospect for natural polysaccharides in practical application of pharmaceutical.

Antioxidant activities of sulfated Codonopsis polysaccharides in acute oxidative stress

This study aimed to explore the protective effect of sulfated Codonopsis polysaccharides (SCP) on acute oxidative stress. SCP was modified by chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine method from Codonopsis polysaccharides (CP), which had 34.48% of sulfate content determined by ultrasonic-acidic barium chromate spectrophotometry. The analysis of Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) appeared an absorption peak of SCP at 811.91 cm^-1 , which related to C-O-SO₃ . In vitro test, the antioxidant activities of CP and SCP was induced by H₂ O₂ in RAW264.7 cells, results indicated that SCP and CP could significantly enhance the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GDH-Px) and catalase (CAT), and nitric oxide (NO) and decrease the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) secreted by RAW264.7 cells compared with modeling group (p < .05). The flow cytometry results also revealed that SCP and CP could markedly inhibit the apoptosis of macrophage induced by acute oxidative stress. In vivo test, 50% ethanol was used to induce mice acute oxidative stress, results indicated that the blood biochemical parameters in mice were restored to normal levels following administration of SCP and CP, andalanineamino transferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), glucose (GLU), and creatinine (UREA) had significant differences compared with modeling group (p < .05). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that SCP and CP could promote the expression of Keap1 and Nrf2. In summary, both SCP and CP had protective effects against acute oxidative stress. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Oxidative stress is a kind of stress injury, which can cause a variety of diseases and accelerate physical aging. Codonopsis has many active components, among which Codonopsis polysaccharide has antioxidant effect. Recent studies have found that Codonopsis polysaccharides could be modified by sulfate molecules to obtain higher antioxidant activity. The modified Codonopsis polysaccharides could significantly promote the production of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GDH-Px) and reduce the content of oxidative stress marks (ROS, MDA). Moreover, its antioxidant mechanism may be related to the Keap1 /Nrf2 signaling pathway. Therefore, SCP was an effective antioxidant, and could be used as a potential health food with antioxidant and anti-aging effects.

Ion-Exchange Resins for Efficient Removal of Colorants in Bis(hydroxyethyl) Terephthalate

Bis(hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) obtained from waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) glycolysis often have undesirable colors, leading to an increased cost in the decoloration of the product and limiting the industrialization of chemical recycling. In this work, eight types of ion-exchange resins were used for BHET decoloration, and resin D201 showed an outstanding performance not only in the decoloration efficiency but also in the retention rate of the product. Under the optimal conditions, the removal rate of the colorant and the retention efficiency of BHET were over 99% and 95%, respectively. D201 showed outstanding reusability with five successive cycles, and the decolored BHET and its r-PET showed good chromaticity. Furthermore, the investigations of adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics have been conducted, which indicated that the decoloration process was a natural endothermic reaction. Adsorption interactions between the colorant and resin were extensively examined by various characterizations, revealing that electrostatic force, π-π interactions, and hydrogen bonding were the dominant adsorption mechanisms.

A comparative study on the structures of Grifola frondosa polysaccharides obtained by different decolourization methods and their in vitro antioxidant activities

Decolourization of polysaccharides is one of the crucial procedures that affects their structure, which is closely related to their bioactivity. Here, Grifola frondosa polysaccharide (GFP) was decolourized with H2O2 and AB-8 macroporous resin. Then, two main fractions, named DGFP and SGFP, were obtained by purification with Sepharose CL-4B. The molecular weights of these two polysaccharides were determined to be 6.306 × 106 (±0.410%) Da and 1.174 × 107 (±0.299%) Da by HPSEC. Monosaccharide analysis indicated that DGFP was composed of glucose, mannose, and galactose (32.20 : 1.00 : 1.75), while SGFP consisted entirely of glucose. Despite a backbone →4)-α-Glcp-(1→ in two polysaccharides, reducing ends Rα →3)-α-Glcp and Rβ →4)-β-Glcp were observed in DGFP by 1D/2D NMR. The results suggested that decolourization with low concentrations of H2O2 might alter the structure of GFP and generate new reducing ends. In vitro antioxidant results implied that DGFP exhibited a higher ability to scavenge DPPH and hydroxyl radicals and reduced the over-generated ROS levels in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggested that the antioxidant effects of GFP could be activated by decolourization with H2O2. Therefore, DGFP might be a more promising natural antioxidant than SGFP.

Structural characterization and immune-enhancing activity of a novel high-molecular-weight polysaccharide from Cordyceps militaris

A novel homogeneous polysaccharide (CMP-III) was extracted and purified from C. militaris. Structural characterization revealed that CMP-III had an average molecular weight of 4.796 × 10⁴ kDa and consisted of glucose, mannose and galactose with the molar ratio of 8.09:1.00:0.25. The main linkage types of CMP-III consisted of 1 → 4)-α-D-Glc (70.08%), 1 → 4,6)-α-D-Man (9.59%), 1→)-α-D-Man (10.79%) and 1 → 2,6)-α-D-Gal (3.93%) based on methylation and NMR analysis. The immunomodulatory assay indicated that CMP-III significantly promoted macrophage phagocytosis and secretion of NO, TNF-α and IL-6. Further study suggested that macrophage activated by CMP-III involved mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Overall, these results suggested that CMP-III could be developed as a potent immunomodulatory agent for use in functional foods and dietary supplements.