Structural characterization and hypoglycemic effect via stimulating glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion of two polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale.

Two polysaccharides, named DOP-1 and DOP-2, with molecular weights of 6.8 kDa and 14.3 kDa, respectively, were isolated and purified from the stems of Dendrobium officinale. Monosaccharide composition, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, methylation, and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses indicated that DOP-1 and DOP-2 may have a backbone consisted of →4)-ß-d-Glcp-(1→, →4)-ß-d-Manp-(1→, →4)-2-O-acetyl-ß-d-Manp-(1→ and →4)-3-O-acetyl-ß-d-Manp-(1→. In vivo assays showed that D. officinale polysaccharides (DOPs) exerted significant hypoglycemic effects accompanying increased serum insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Further in vitro experiments showed that DOP-induced GLP-1 secretion was inhibited by an intracellular calcium chelator, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) II inhibitor, a specific calcium-sensing receptor antagonist, and a p38-mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) inhibitor. These results indicated that DOPs may decrease fasting blood sugar levels by stimulating GLP-1 secretion and that intracellular DOP-induced GLP-1 secretion involved the Ca2+/calmodulin/CaMKII and MAPK pathways.