Structural Characterization of a Water-Soluble Polysaccharide from Lycium ruthenicum Murr. Fruits and Its Protective Effect on Ethanol-Induced Damage in GES-1 Cells

Abstract

Lycium ruthenicum Murr. polysaccharide (LRMP) was obtained by hot water extraction, its structural parameters such as monosaccharide composition, glycosidic linkages and chain conformation were analyzed, and its protective effect on ethanol-inducedinjuryin gastric mucosal epithelial cells (GES-1) was evaluated. The results showed that LRMP was composed of arabinose, xylose, galactose, glucose, fucose and galacturonic acid, and its terminus mainly consisted of arabinose, xylose, glucose and galactose residues. In aqueous solution, LRMP presented a typical random coil conformation with a mean square radius of (80.4 ± 1.0) nm. LRMP had no toxic effect on GES-1 cells, and 600 μg/mL LRMP could significantly ameliorate ethanol-induced damage, restore intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and reduce apoptosis rate in GES-1 cells. In conclusion, LRMP has potential application as a functional polysaccharide in the development of health foods.

Keywords

• lycium ruthenicum murr.; polysaccharide; structure; ethanol-induced damage; gastric mucosal epithelialcells