The Effects of Different Purifying Methods on the Chemical Properties, in Vitro Anti-Tumor and Immunomodulatory Activities of Abrus cantoniensis Polysaccharide Fractions

Abstract

Abrus cantoniensis (Hance) is a popular Chinese vegetable consumed as a beverage, soup or folk medicine. To fully exploit the potential of the polysaccharide in Abrus cantoniensis, nine polysaccharide fractions of Abrus cantoniensis were isolated and purified (AP-AOH30-1, AP-AOH30-2, AP-AOH80-1, AP-AOH80-2, AP-ACl-1, AP-ACl-2, AP-ACl-3, AP-H and AP-L). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography (GC) were used to characterize these Abrus polysaccharides fractions (APF). In vitro anti-tumor and immunomodulatory activities were also investigated and compared using the rank-sum ratio (RSR) method. Results demonstrated significant differences in the structure and bioactivities among APF, which were associated to the process used for their purification. Among the APF, AP-ACl-3 yield was 613.5 mg/kg of product and consisted of rhamnose (9.8%), arabinose (8.9%), fructose (3.0%), galactose (9.9%), glucose (4.3%), galacturonic acid (3.0%) and glucuronic acid (61.1%) with a molecular weight of 4.4 × 104 Da. Furthermore, AP-ACl-3 exhibited considerable bioactivities significantly preventing the migration of MCF-7 cells and stimulating lymphocyte proliferation along with nitric oxide (NO) production of peritoneal macrophages. AP-ACl-3 could be explored as a novel potential anti-tumor and immunomodulatory agent.

Characterization and macrophages immunomodulatory activity of two water-soluble polysaccharides from Abrus cantoniensis

“…Therefore, Congo red experiment can corroborate the existence of triple helix structure in polysaccharides (33). As shown in Figure 3A, the bathochromic shift of λmax value of ACP t 0 or ACP t 2 -Congo red complex are 15 nm and 18 nm, respectively compared with Congo red.…”

“…The AFM is a powerful technique of structure characterization analysis, which can be used to observe the morphology and size of macromolecular chains in samples under room temperature and pressure. AFM has gradually become a vital approach to explore the structures of biological macromolecules, such as polysaccharides and DNA ( 34 ). As is shown in Figures 3B,C , spherical shell morphology was clearly observed (upper panels).…”

Polysaccharides From Abrus cantoniensis Hance Modulate Intestinal Microflora and Improve Intestinal Mucosal Barrier and Liver Oxidative Damage Induced by Heat Stress

“…The free radical scavenging activity and reducing ability of methanol extract from ACP have been proved by in vitro experiments ( 15 , 22 ). In addition, the in vitro anti-tumor and immunomodulatory capabilities of ACP by in vitro tumor cell lines and lymphocyte proliferation experiments were demonstrated by Wu et al ( 19 ). These studies also proved that ACP has biological functions such as antioxidant, anti-cell proliferation, and anti-bacterial activities at present, there are few reports about in vivo experiments using ACP.…”

“…Chinese herbal medicine additive is a natural substance, which can improve production performance, promote digestion and absorption, resist stress, prevent diseases, and so on ( 16 , 17 ). So far, many Chinese herbal medicines have been found to contain various immune active substances, which can enhance the immune function of animals ( 18 , 19 ). Studies have shown that plant extracts can improve animal performance and gut health, including barrier and absorption function, and improve antioxidant status ( 20 ).…”

A New Isoflavonolignan Glycoside from Abrus cantoniensis

“…In China, it is used as a folk medicine for treating acute and chronic hepatitis, jaundice, rheumatism and removing the liver toxicants [1][2]. In previous studies, A. cantoniensis was reportedly showed potential biological activities including antioxidant [2][3][4], anti-tumor [5][6], immunoregulatory activity [5] and wound healing activity [7]. Some chemical constituents have been isolated from A. cantoniensis, such as triterpenes, thraquinones, flavonoids, and alkaloids [8][9][10][11], while isoflavones have never been reported in this plant.…”