Structural characterization and raW 264.7 macrophage-mediated immunomodulatory effects of two acidic polysaccharide fractions from Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl
摘要
To address the paucity of functional studies on acidic polysaccharide fractions, the present study focused on the structural identification and immunomodulatory effects of acidic polysaccharides derived from Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl. Specifically, two acidic polysaccharide fractions (WCP-1 F and WCP-2 F) were extracted from the cinnamon samples using alcoholic precipitation and further purified. The molecular masses of WCP-1 F and WCP-2 F were 846 kDa and 64 kDa, respectively. The polysaccharides of WCP-1 F were predominantly composed of rhamnose, galacturonic acid, galactose, and arabinose, exhibiting molar ratios of 1.48:5.02:1.00:1.80. The WCP-2 F polysaccharides were predominantly composed of rhamnose, mannose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and arabinose, with molar ratios of 0.30:0.38:0.17:0.55:0.48:1.00:1.24. The mean total sugar content was 61.29 ± 1.41% and 36.00 ± 0.04%, respectively. The DPPH· radical scavenging rates of the WCP-1 F and WCP-2 F were 44.62% and 41.12%, respectively, while the ABTS·+ radical scavenging rates of both polysaccharide fractions demonstrated a maximum activity of 100%. The ·OH radical scavenging capacity of these two fractions was 22.49% and 35.28%, respectively. The results also demonstrated that WCP-1 F and WCP-2 F exerted preliminary immunomodulatory effects on RAW 264.7 cells, primarily reflected in the regulation of cellular NO production and macrophage phagocytosis. The immunostimulatory activity of RAW 264.7 cells was enhanced by the increased concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α secreted by macrophages after treatment with the two polysaccharide fractions. This study provides a preliminary experimental basis for further research on the potential application of cinnamon-derived acidic polysaccharides in functional foods.