Extraction, characterization, and in vivo antitumor activity of a novel polysaccharide from Coriandrum sativum L

Optimization of Extraction Conditions for Water-Soluble Polysaccharides from the Roots of Adenophora tetraphylla (Thunb.) Fisch. and Its Effects on Glucose Consumption on HepG2 Cells

The root of Adenophora tetraphylla (Thunb.) Fisch. is a common Chinese materia medica and the polysaccharides which have been isolated from the plant are important active components for medicinal purposes. The objective of the current study was to optimize the extraction parameters and evaluate the glucose consumption activity for Adenophorae root polysaccharides (ARPs). The optimization of ARP extraction was evaluated with preliminary experiments and using response surface methodology (RSM). The conditions investigated were 35-45 °C extraction temperature, 20-30 (v/w) water-to-solid ratio, and 3-5 h extraction time. The antidiabetic effects of ARPs for the glucose consumption activity were evaluated in HepG2 cells. The statistical analyses of the experiments indicated that temperature, water-to-solid ratio, and extraction time significantly affected ARP yield (p < 0.01). The correlation analysis revealed that the experimental data were well-aligned with a quadratic polynomial model, as evidenced by the mathematical regression model's fit. The optimal conditions for maximum ARP yield were 45 °C extraction temperature and 28.47:1 (mL/g) water-to-solid ratio with a 4.60 h extraction time. Extracts from these conditions showed significant activity of promoting cell proliferation from 11.26% (p < 0.001) to 32.47% (p < 0.001) at a dose of 50 μg/mL to 800 μg/mL and increasing glucose consumption to 75.86% (p < 0.001) at 250 μg/mL on HepG2 cells. This study provides a sustainable alternative for the industry since it allowed simplified handling and a specific quantity of ARPs. Furthermore, ARPs might directly stimulate the glucose consumption in the liver and showed no cytotoxicity; therefore, ARPs probably could be taken as a potential natural source of antidiabetic materials.

Structure Elucidation of a Novel Polysaccharide Isolated from Euonymus fortunei and Establishing Its Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties

Euonymusfortunei polysaccharides (EFPs) have not been extensively investigated yet in terms of their extraction and biological activity. The orthogonal experimental design was employed in this study to evaluate the optimum yield of EFPs. A maximum yield of 2.63 ± 0.23% was attained using material-liquid ratios of 60 mL/g, extraction temperature of 80°C, ultrasonic power of 144 W, and extraction time of 75 mins. The polysaccharide content reached 53.47 ± 0.31% when deproteinized thrice. An analysis of monosaccharide composition revealed that these polysaccharides consist of Gal, Glc, Man, Fuc, and Rha with a molar ratio of 7.14 ∶ 23.99 ∶ 6.29 ∶ 6.55 ∶ 1.00, respectively, in EFPs. Subsequently, the in vitro scavenging capacities of 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ·OH and superoxide anion radicals, along with the reducing power of EFPs, were studied. Results revealed that EFPs have higher antioxidant activity, particularly ·OH scavenging, as well as reducing power, as compared to Astragalus polysaccharides (ASPs) and Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs). The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) method was used to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of polysaccharides on SKOV3 cell proliferation, and the results revealed their inhibition at concentrations in the range of 200-800 μg/mL. In addition, findings from flow cytometry further confirmed that EFPs blocked the cell cycle at G0/G1 and S phases and induced SKOV3 cell apoptosis. In a word, EFPs could be exploited and used further based on the experimental results from this study.

Research Progress of Polysaccharide-Gold Nanocomplexes in Drug Delivery

Clinical drug administration aims to deliver drugs efficiently and safely to target tissues, organs, and cells, with the objective of enabling their therapeutic effects. Currently, the main approach to enhance a drug's effectiveness is ensuring its efficient delivery to the intended site. Due to the fact that there are still various drawbacks of traditional drug delivery methods, such as high toxicity and side effects, insufficient drug specificity, poor targeting, and poor pharmacokinetic performance, nanocarriers have emerged as a promising alternative. Nanocarriers possess significant advantages in drug delivery due to their size tunability and surface modifiability. Moreover, nano-drug delivery systems have demonstrated strong potential in terms of prolonging drug circulation time, improving bioavailability, increasing drug retention at the tumor site, decreasing drug resistance, as well as reducing the undesirable side effects of anticancer drugs. Numerous studies have focused on utilizing polysaccharides as nanodelivery carriers, developing delivery systems based on polysaccharides, or exploiting polysaccharides as tumor-targeting ligands to enhance the precision of nanoparticle delivery. These types of investigations have become commonplace in the academic literature. This review aims to elucidate the preparation methods and principles of polysaccharide gold nanocarriers. It also provides an overview of the factors that affect the loading of polysaccharide gold nanocarriers with different kinds of drugs. Additionally, it outlines the strategies employed by polysaccharide gold nanocarriers to improve the delivery efficiency of various drugs. The objective is to provide a reference for further development of research on polysaccharide gold nanodelivery systems.

Are high-risk heavy metal(loid)s contaminated vegetables detrimental to human health? A study of incorporating bioaccessibility and toxicity into accurate health risk assessment

Heavy metal(loid)s in the environment threaten food safety and human health. Health risk assessment of vegetables based on total or bioaccessible heavy metal(loid)s was widely used but can overestimate their risks, so exploring accurate methods is urgent for food safety evaluation and management. In this study, a total of 224 frequently consumed vegetables and their corresponding grown soils were collected from Yunnan, Southwest China. The total contents and bioaccessibilities of heavy metal(loid)s in vegetables were measured, their health risks were evaluated using the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk models provided by USEPA. Besides, the gastrotoxicity of high-risk vegetables was also evaluated using a human cell model. Results showed that 6.25-43.8 % of Cr, Cd, and Pb contents in Zea mays L., Coriandrum sativum L., or Allium sativum L. exceeded the maximum permissible level of China, which were not consistent with those in corresponding soils. The bioaccessibility of Cr, Cd, As, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Mn in vegetables in the gastric phase was 0.41-93.8 %. Health risks based on bioaccessibility were remarkably decreased compared with total heavy metal(loid)s, but the unacceptable carcinogenic risk (CR > 10-4) was found even considering the bioaccessibility. Interestingly, gastric digesta of high-risk vegetables did not trigger adverse effects on human gastric mucosa epithelial cells, indicating existing health risk assessment model should be adjusted by toxic data to accurately reflect its hazards. Taken together, both bioaccessibility and toxicity of heavy metal(loid)s in vegetables should be considered in accurate health risk assessment and food safety-related policy-making and management.

Fingerprinting Evaluation and Gut Microbiota Regulation of Polysaccharides from Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) Fruit

Jujube fruit was well-loved and praised by the broad masses due to its delicious taste, abundant nutritional value, and medicinal properties. Few studies reported the quality evaluation and gut microbiota regulation effect of polysaccharides of jujube fruits from different producing areas. In the present study, multi-level fingerprint profiling, including polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, and monosaccharides, was established for the quality evaluation of polysaccharides from jujube fruits. For polysaccharides, the total content in jujube fruits ranged from 1.31% to 2.22%, and the molecular weight distribution (MWD) ranged from 1.14 × 10⁵ to 1.73 × 10⁶ Da. The MWD fingerprint profiling of polysaccharides from eight producing areas was similar, but the profile of infrared spectroscopy (IR) showed differentiation. The characteristic signals were screened and used to establish a discrimination model for the identification of jujube fruits from different areas, and the accuracy of identification reached 100.00%. For oligosaccharides, the main components were galacturonic acid polymers (DP, 2-4), and the profile of oligosaccharides exhibited high similarity. The monosaccharides, GalA, Glc, and Ara, were the primary monosaccharides. Although the fingerprint of monosaccharides was semblable, the composing proportion of monosaccharides revealed significant differences. In addition, the polysaccharides of jujube fruits could regulate the gut microbiota composition and possess potential therapeutic effects on dysentery and nervous system diseases.