Chemical structure and protective effect against alcoholic kidney and heart damages of a novel polysaccharide from Piperis Dahongpao.

In this manuscript, the polysaccharide isolated from Piperis Dahongpao was extracted with the method of water-extraction and alcohol-precipitation. Besides, the homogeneous polysaccharide (PDP-1) with an MW of 2.47 × 103 KDa was purified with the Sephadex G-150 column. The monosaccharide composition analysis showed that PDP-1 consisted of Man, Glc and Gal in a ratio of 1.678:1.784:1, respectively. Besides, the methylation analysis indicated that PDP-1 was composed of six sugar alcohol derivatives, which were →4，6)-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-D -Manp-(1→, →4)-D-Glcp-(1→, →6)-D -Glcp-(1→ and D-Glcp-(1 â†’ . Otherwise, the microscopic conformation of PDP-1 was flat, dense and porous. In addition, the PDP-1 had a strong scavenging ability for DPPH free radicals, Hydroxyl free radicals and ABTS free radicals. At the same time, PDP-1 could effectively decrease the peroxidation process of kidney and heart in mice with acute alcoholic liver injury, improve its antioxidant capacity, and protect the organ injury caused by alcohol to a certain extent. Therefore, the results of this manuscript showed that Piperis Dahongpao polysaccharides have antioxidant potential, which lays a theoretical foundation for the research of Piperis Dahongpa polysaccharides in medicine.

Chemical structure and mechanism of polysaccharide on Pb2+ tolerance of Cordyceps militaris after Pb2+ domestication.

In this study, the purified polysaccharide (DCP-I) was extracted from Cordyceps militaris domesticated with Pb2+. After that, the structural feature and mechanism of lead resistance of DCP-I were investigated using novel approaches. The results showed that the average molecular weight of DCP-I was 1.206 × 103 kDa and mainly consist of Rhamnose, Galactose, Glucose, Galacturonic acid and Glucuronic acid in a molar ratio of 0.130:47.687:40.784:1.795:0.48. Besides, the main chain of DCP-I was composed by →6)-Galp-(1→, →4)-Glcp-(1→ and →1,4)-Glcp-(6→, while the side chain was →1)-Rhaf-(2→ and D-Glcp-(1→, and the DCP-I contained Alacturonic acid and Glucuronic acid. In addition, the result of Congo red test showed that DCP-I did not exist triple-helical structures. SEM, EDX and XPS analyses results showed that the functional groups of DCP-I related to C, H and O (-OH, -COOH and -C=O) could combined with Pb2+effectively. The adsorption processes were described by the Pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.9978) and Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.9979) for Pb2+ indicating that adsorption process of DCP-I to Pb2+ was a kind of single molecular layer chemical adsorption.

Using Cordyceps militaris extracellular polysaccharides to prevent Pb2+-induced liver and kidney toxicity by activating Nrf2 signals and modulating gut microbiota.

In this study, we investigated the protective efficacy of extracellular polysaccharide from Cordyceps militaris (CEP-I) in liver and kidney and their regulating effect on gut microbiota against Pb-induced toxicity in vivo. The results indicated that CEP-I could reduce the Pb2+ content and organ index of liver and kidney in mice. Besides, biochemical analysis showed that CEP-I could improve the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum and organs, restore the physiological indexes of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (CRE) in serum and decrease the enzyme activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the liver and kidney of mice poisoned by Pb2+. This indicated that CEP-I has a protective effect on organs against damage in mice. In addition, CEP-I could regulate the expression of key proteins in the Nrf2 signaling pathway, including NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1 (Keap1), Heme oxygenase (HO-1) and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Furthermore, the intestinal flora analysis results indicated that CEP-I also has the capacity to regulate the intestinal flora imbalance caused by Pb2+ in poisoned mice. In conclusion, we hope that this study can provide theoretical basis for the treatment of tissue damage induced by Pb2+.

Chemical structure and inhibition on α-glucosidase of the polysaccharides from Cordyceps militaris with different developmental stages.

The natural form of wild edible fungus is the fruiting body. The cultivation of fruiting bodies from sexual reproduction requires strict conditions and long periods. Some literatures have paid attentions on the mycelia prepared with liquid fermentation to alter fruiting bodies. Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) is a kind of precious edible fungus. The polysaccharide is an important active ingredient in C. militaris. The manuscript aimed to evaluate the feasibility of alternative of mycelia to fruit bodies with studies of polysaccharides from C. militaris of different developmental stages. The two polysaccharides were separated. The chemical structure and inhibitory activity on α-glucosidase of polysaccharides were explored. The results indicated that the structure and inhibitory activity on α-glucosidase of polysaccharides with different developmental stages had significant differences. The polysaccharides from fruiting bodies had better inhibitory activity on α-glucosidase. It demonstrated that the mycelia of C. militaris from asexual reproduction with liquid fermentation can't be an effective substitute for fruiting bodies from sexual reproduction, from the perspective of polysaccharides.

Structural characterization and inhibition on α-glucosidase of the polysaccharides from fruiting bodies and mycelia of Pleurotus eryngii.

The Pleurotus eryngii was chose as research subject to study the similarity and discrepancy of polysaccharides from fruiting body and mycelia, which were named as PEBP-II and PEMP-II, respectively. The purpose is to expand the production and application of Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharide. The molecular weights of PEBP-II and PEMP-II were 4.062 × 106 Da and 4.189 × 106 Da, respectively. The PEBP-II was composed of α-d-Glcp(1→, →6)-ß-d-Galp(1→, →4)-α-d-Glcp(1→, →3,4)-α-d-Glcp(1→ and →3)-α-d-Manp(1→. The PEMP-II was composed of α-d-Glcp(1→, →6)-ß-d-Galp(1→,→4)-α-d-Glcp(1→, →3,4)-α-d-Glcp(1→, →3)-α-d-Manp(1→, →3, 6)-α-d-Manp(1→ and →3)-α-d-Glcp(1→. The PEBP-II and PEMP-II both had dendritic and filamentous structure. The difference of PEBP-II and PEMP-II in structure was the ratio and kinds of backbone and branches. The PEBP-II and PEMP-II had equivalent inhibition on α-glucosidase and can significant inhibit the activity of α-glucosidase with inhibition types of competitive. All the results revealed that the polysaccharides from mycelia can be an effective substitute of polysaccharides from fruiting body. The manuscript expanded the production and application of Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharide. The analysis of chemical structure can provide theoretical basis for exploring the structure-activity relationship of polysaccharides.

Structure analysis and anti-fatigue activity of a polysaccharide from Lepidium meyenii Walp.

A polysaccharide was obtained from Lepidium meyenii Walp by hot water extraction and purification by Millipore (100 kD) and Sephadex G-200. The content of polysaccharide was examined to be 89.9% with phenol-sulfuric acid method. Its average molecular weight was estimated to be 2.213 × 106 Da by High Performance Gel Permeation Chromatography (HPGPC). Monosaccharide analysis showed that the polysaccharide was composed of arabinose, mannose, glucose and galactose with the molar ratio of 2.134: 1: 2.78: 2.82. After Smith degradation, methylation, infrared spectroscopy and NMR, the primary structure of the polysaccharide was identified. The backbone of the polysaccharide was composed of →4)-ß-D-Galp-(1→ and →4)-α-D-Galp-(1→, while the branches were comprised of →6)-ß-D-Glup-(1→, →5)- ß-D-Araf-(1→, →3,6)-α-D-Manp-(1→, →3)-α-D-Galp-(1→, and α-D-Glup-(1→. The anti-fatigue effect of the polysaccharide was evaluated using exhaustive swimming test and biochemical indexes. The results indicated the polysaccharide has anti-fatigue effect.

Structural characterization and antitumor activity of a novel Se-polysaccharide from selenium-enriched Cordyceps gunnii.

Selenium (Se) has been recognized as an essential element. Animals and humans absorb and retain more organic Se than inorganic Se. Bio-transformation is a major approach to transform inorganic Se to organic Se. Cordyceps gunnii (C. gunnii), well known as a Chinese edible and medicinal fungus, has a variety of biological functions. C. gunnii and selenium were combined through liquid-fermentation to obtain selenium-enriched C. gunnii. A novel Se-polysaccharide (SeCPS-II) was extracted from selenium-enriched C. gunnii. The molecular weight, sugar content and selenium content of SeCPS-II were 4.12 × 103 kDa, 17.89 µg g-1 and 90.75%, respectively. The structure of SeCPS-II was characterized using FT-IR, NMR, GC and GC-MS studies. SeCPS-II was composed of pyranose, which contained α-l-rhamnose, α-d-mannose, α-d-glucose and ß-d-galactose at a ratio of 4.33 : 12.62 : 27.50 : 18.99. SeCPS-II contained α-(1 → 4)-d-glucose, α-(1 → 3)-d-glucose, ß-(1 → 6)-d-galactose, α-(1 → 6)-d-mannose, and α-(1 → 4)-l-rhamnose, and the main chain was composed of α-(1 → 4)-d-glucose. An MTT assay indicated that SeCPS-II could influence the cell viability of SKOV-3 cells, H1299 cells and HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Morphologic changes (AO/EB staining and DAPI staining) and an MMP assay (JC-1 staining) of SKOV-3 cells treated with SeCPS-II were performed to research the antitumor activity of SeCPS-II. SeCPS-II could significantly induce apoptosis in SKOV-3 cells with typical apoptotic characteristics. To study the mechanism, the expressions of caspase-3, caspase-9, PARP, p53, Bax and Bcl-2 in SKOV-3 were studied via western blotting. SeCPS-II can stimulate the apoptosis of SKOV-3 cells through the p53-Bax-caspase pathway. Animal experiments revealed that SeCPS-II inhibits tumors within an ovarian tumor model rat, modeled with SKOV-3 cells. All the results indicated that selenium-enriched C. gunnii can be used to develop new selenium-containing additives.

The chemical structure and anti-aging bioactivity of an acid polysaccharide obtained from rose buds.

An acid polysaccharide, named R-PL, was extracted from rose buds by hot water (80 °C) extraction and purified by Sephadex G-200. R-PL, extracted with a total yield of 1.90%, is a highly pure polysaccharide with a total sugar content of 92.51%. A single and symmetrically sharp peak in its high-performance gel-permeation chromatography (HPGPC) spectrum indicates that R-PL is a homogeneous polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 7.727 × 105 Da. Monosaccharide composition analysis shows that it consists of d-arabinose, d-xylose, d-glucose, d-galactose, d-galacturonic acid, and d-glucuronic acid with a molar ratio of 4.6 : 1.4 : 5.22 : 4.81 : 1 : 1.86. Structure analysis, such as FTIR spectroscopy, periodic acid oxidation, Smith degradation, methylation, and NMR analysis, reveals that R-PL has a backbone of →1)-α-d-Glcp-(6→ with side chains of →1)-ß-d-Galp-(4,6→, →1)-ß-d-Araf-(5→, →1)-α-d-Xylp-(4→, →1)-α-d-GlcpA-(2→ and →1)-α-d-GalpA-(4→. Its morphological characteristics were identified by Congo red experiments and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The results show that R-PL does not have a triple-helical conformation in solution; its shape resembles twisted ribbons. Anti-oxidative and anti-aging analyses show that R-PL has significant antioxidant and anti-aging abilities in vivo.

Taxonomy characterization and plumbum bioremediation of novel fungi.

The objective of this study was to investigate the screening, taxonomy characterization, Pb biosorption, and application of the high Pb-resistant fungus F1 separated from the heavy metal contaminated soil. Fungus F1 was screened through metal concentration gradient ranging from 25 to 4000 mg L-1 . The internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of the strain was analyzed by molecular biotechnology. The adsorption conditions were also evaluated. The precipitation of fungus F1 was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The Pb speciation was determined by BCR three-step sequential extraction. The highest concentration of fungus F1 resistance to Pb2+ was 3500 mg L-1 . The fungus was identified as Trichoderma asperellum. The optimum condition for the Pb2+ removal rate was discovered as follows: MTL: 3500 mg L-1 ; pH: 7; Pb2+ concentration: 800 mg L-1 ; temperature was 30 °C; initial biosorbent dosage: 6% (v/v). The surface chemical functional groups of fungus F1 were amino, hydroxyl, and carbonyl groups, which may be involved in the biosorption of Pb. Application test showed that the exchangeable, acid-and water soluble Pb were reduced, and the sulfide, organic combination state, and residual Pb were increased. With the preferable absorption capacity, fungus F1 was considered to have good prospects of bioremediation.