Extraction, Purification, Structural Characteristics, Biological Activity and Application of Polysaccharides from Portulaca oleracea L. (Purslane): A Review.

Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) is a widely distributed plant with a long history of cultivation and consumption. Notably, polysaccharides obtained from purslane exhibit surprising and satisfactory biological activities, which explain the various benefits of purslane on human health, including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumor, antifatigue, antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. This article systematically reviews the extraction and purification methods, chemical structure, chemical modification, biological activity and other aspects of polysaccharides from purslane collected in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Flora of China, Web of Science, PubMed, Baidu Scholar, Google Scholar and CNKI databases in the last 14 years, using the keywords "Portulaca oleracea L. polysaccharides" and "purslane polysaccharides". The application of purslane polysaccharides in different fields is also summarized, and its application prospects are also discussed. This paper provides an updated and deeper understanding of purslane polysaccharides, which will provide useful guidance for the further optimization of polysaccharide structures and the development of purslane polysaccharides as a novel functional material, as well as a theoretical basis for its further research and application in human health and manufacturing development.

Inhibitory effect on HT-29 colon cancer cells of a water-soluble polysaccharide obtained from highland barley.

A water-soluble polysaccharide (BP-1) was obtained from highland barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) by hot water extraction and purification of sepharose column chromatography. BP-1 had an average molecular weight of about 6.7×104Da and was composed of glucose (Glc), xylose (Xyl), arabinose (Ara) and rhamnose (Rha) with a relative molar ratio of 8.82:1.92:1.50:1.00. It was found that BP-1 inhibited proliferation of human colon cancer cells (HT-29) in a time- and dose-dependent manner with half maximal inhibitory concentration at 48h of 48.18µg/mL. Western blotting results showed that BP-1 enhanced the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), processes associated with the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and inhibited nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) translocation from cytoplasm into nucleus. Meanwhile, the BP-1-induced apoptosis was related to the regulation of apoptosis-associated proteins, such as B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), release of cytochrome C from mitochondria to cytoplasm and activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9. These results suggest that BP-1-induced HT-29 apoptosis through ROS-JNK and NF-κB-mediated caspase pathways.