Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activities of Different Polysaccharides from the Roots of Angelica dahurica

Abstract

The total crude polysaccharides (CADPs), isolated from the roots of Angelica dahurica by H(2) O extraction, EtOH precipitation, and dialysis, and the four fractions ADP1, ADP2, ADP3, and ADP4, obtained by gel filtration of the CADPs, were analyzed to characterize their composition and evaluated for their antioxidant activity using different in vitro tests such as the malondialdehyde (MDA)-production, the ferrous ion (Fe(2+) )-chelating, and the HO(.) radical-scavenging assays. The predominant neutral monosaccharides in the four fractions were identified as arabinose, galactose, and glucose, while the composition and ratio of the monosaccharides were different between the fractions. The CADPs and its fractions were found to significantly inhibit lipid peroxidation, chelate Fe(2+) , and scavenge HO(.) radicals, indicating that these polysaccharides possessed antioxidant activity. Among the four fractions, ADP4 exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, which was stronger than that of the control antioxidant vitamin E (Vit E). Taken together, the chemical composition of these polysaccharides might affect their antioxidant activity, and ADP4 could be explored as a source of potential novel natural antioxidants for food and pharmaceutical purposes.

Antioxidant Capacity and Proanthocyanidin Composition of the Bark of Metasequoia glyptostroboides

“…Among the oxygen radicals, hydroxyl radical is the most reactive in biological systems and has been implicated as a highly damaging species in free radical pathology, which is capable of damaging almost every molecule found in living cells. This radical has the capacity to join nucleotides in DNA and cause strand breakage which contributes to carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, and cytotoxicity [2]. Superoxide anion is a weak oxidant; however, it plays important roles in the formation of powerful and dangerous ROS such as hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, and singlet oxygen, which induce oxidative damage in lipids, proteins, and DNA [29, 31].…”

“…Metal chelating capacity is an important antioxidant property since it reduced the concentration of the catalysing transition metal in lipid peroxidation. Fe 2+ is the most powerful prooxidant among the various species of catalysing transition metal ions [2]. To better characterize the antioxidant potentials, in this study, the extracts and fractions from the bark of M. glyptostroboides were assessed for the T-AOC, the lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, and Fe 2+ chelating activity.…”

“…The lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity and ferrous ion (Fe 2+ ) chelating activity were determined by the methods as our previously used [2]. Lipid peroxidation was induced by FeCl 2 -ascorbic acid in rat liver tissues.…”

“…The oxidative damage is a crucial etiological factor implicated in several chronic human diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as in degenerative processes associated with aging [1]. Therefore, the researches on antioxidants, especially exploration of potent natural compounds with low cytotoxicity from plants, have become an important branch of biomedicine [2]. …”

Angelica dahurica (Fish. ex Hoffm.) Benth. et Hook. f. 白芷 (Baizhi, Chinese Angelica)

“…Moreover, imperatorin can be used as a lead compound for anti-inflammatory drugs [10]. Recently, it has also reported that the polysaccharides isolated from the roots of A. dahurica have the ability of enhancing the proliferation of rat skin cells, acting with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties [9,11].…”