Two polysaccharides in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim with protective effects against Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Background Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim can alleviate cognitive dysfunction, improve learning and memory impairment in mice. However, there are no reports on structure identification of polysaccharides from Z. bungeanum, and no data on the effects and possible mechanisms of polysaccharides from the plant against Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods In the present study, crude polysaccharides were obtained by hydroextraction and alcoholic precipitation, DEAE-52 and dextran G-75 chromatographic columns were used for the separation and purification. high-performance gel-permeation chromatography, ion chromatography, GC-MS and NMR were used for structure identification. Activity evaluation was performed by CCK-8, ROS, RT-PCR and Western Blotting experiments. Results Two degraded polysaccharides (WZBP-1-2 and WZBP-2) from Z. bungeanum were purified and identified, and their biological activities were evaluated. WZBP-1-2 and WZBP-2 with average molecular weight (Mw) of 10.89 and 18 kDa mainly contained galacturonic acid, and they were homogalacturonans with the main chain of →4)-α-D-GalAp-(1→. Biological investigation showed that WZBP-1-2 and WZBP-2 significantly increased the viabilities of MN9D cells induced by N-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and reduced ROS levels compared with model groups. Mechanism study showed that WZBP-1-2 and WZBP-2 markedly increased the expression levels of SIRT1 and Nrf2, and inhibited the protein or mRNA levels of NF-κB, TNF-α and IL-6. Conclusion WZBP-1-2 and WZBP-2 from Z. bungeanum may exhibit protective effects against MPP+-induced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress through activation of SIRT1 signaling and should be considered as candidates for the treatment of PD.