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The effects of carboxylation degree (0.3-2.4 mmol/g) of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of edible walnut oleogels were comprehensively examined. The oleogels were well prepared by emulsion-templated approach for potential substitute of conventional saturated or trans-fats in food products. The results demonstrated that the oil-binding capacity (OBC) and textural strength of oleogels enhanced with the increase of CNF carboxyl content, while the structural strength (G' in rheological measurement) and the resistance to shear thinning was first decreased and then increased. It possibly reflected the competition on the dominant structuring mechanism by hydrogen bonding from cellulose hydroxyl groups and electrostatic interactions from -COONa function. With the combined mechanism, oleogel with low structural strength and relatively high OBC (CNF carboxyl content of 1.2 mmol/g, OBC >83 %, G' ≈ 7 × 10 4  Pa and firmness of 0.30 N) and oleogel with enough structural rigidity and high OBC (CNF carboxyl content of 1.8 mmol/g, OBC >89 %, G' of up to 1.7 × 10 5  Pa, and firmness of up to 0.66 N) were both fabricated. This reveals the feasibility of regulating oleogel structure and textual properties by using CNF as the unique oleogelator and simply changing its surface carboxyl function., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To reduce environmental pollution and improve human health, developing green active food packaging materials is very necessary. In this study, a novel antioxidant and antibacterial composite film was produced by incorporating inclusion complex (CDIC) of cannabidiol (CBD) with 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CD) into pectin. The pectin films loaded with CBD and hemp leaf water extract (HLE) were prepared for comparison. Comprehensive characterizations showed CBD was encapsulated by DM-β-CD and CDIC was evenly dispersed into pectin matrix, forming the compact and intact film. The composite films showed good mechanical properties and biodegradability. CDIC film showed the highest transparency and smoothness (Rrms/Rmax: 2.6/16.8 nm). The addition of bioactives reduced the water-binding capacity and CDIC film had the strongest hydrophobicity. Besides, DM-β-CD encapsulation improved the thermal stability of CBD in CDIC film. Benefiting from encapsulation and excellent bioactivities of CBD, CDIC film showed excellent antioxidant capacity and antibacterial activity, effectively inhibiting colony growth and maintaining the strawberry color in strawberry preservation. This work could provide a novel eco-friendly candidate for food packaging material and expand the use of CBD in food industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Herein, we investigated the synergistic effects of jet milling (JM) and deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment on the fractionation of grapevine lignin and the consequent enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis. Grapevine, a substantial byproduct of the wine industry, was subjected to JM pretreatment to produce finely powdered particles (median diameter D 50  = 98.90), which were then further treated with acidic ChCl-LA and alkaline K 2 CO 3 -EG DESs. The results revealed that the combined JM + ChCl-LA pretreatment significantly increased the cellulose preservation under optimal conditions (110 °C, 4 h, and 20 % water content), achieving removal rates of 74.18 % xylan and 66.05 % lignin, respectively. The pretreatment temperature and inhibitor production were reduced, resulting in a remarkable threefold increase in glucose yield compared to untreated samples. Moreover, the structural analysis of the pretreated lignin indicated an enrichment of phenolic units, leading to enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial activities, particularly in the JM pretreated samples. These findings underscore the promising potential of the synergistic JM and DES pretreatment in facilitating the efficient utilization of grapevine lignocellulosic biomass for sustainable biorefinery technologies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to compare and characterize the theoretical properties and interaction mechanisms of zein and isoquercetin (ISO) from experimental and theoretical perspectives. Zein nanoparticles with different ISO concentrations (ZINPs) were prepared by the antisolvent precipitation method. The experimental results indicated all particles appeared spherical. When the mass ratio of zein to ISO was 10:1, the encapsulation efficiency of ZINPs reached 88.19 % with an average diameter of 126.67 nm. The multispectral method and molecular docking results confirmed that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals force played a dominant role for the binding of ISO to zein, and the primary fluorescence quenching mechanism for zein by ISO was static quenching. Furthermore, ZINPs had greater solubility and antioxidant activity, as well as inhibited the release of ISO during simulated gastrointestinal digestion processes. This research contributes to the understanding of the non-covalent binding mechanism between zein and ISO, providing a theoretical basis for the construction of ISO active carriers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Herein, three pretreated grapevine lignins were incorporated into carboxymethyl cellulose films. The effects of traditional NaOH pretreated lignin and DES (ChCl-LA, ChCl-LA & K 2 CO 3 -EG) pretreated lignin on film properties were compared. Modern analytical techniques were employed to systematically characterize the pretreated lignin and the different CMC-lignin films. The results showed that DES lignin was of high purity, low molecular weight, and homogeneous structure. It outperformed traditional NaOH lignin in terms of compatibility with CMC, enabling it to perform its bioactivity and physicochemical functions in films. This feature effectively enhanced the hydrophobicity, UV shielding ability, water vapor barrier, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and biological activity of CMC-DES lignin film. NMR (2D HSQC) showed that the excellent antioxidant and antibacterial capabilities of CMC-DES lignin film are due to the retention of butyl (S) and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units in DES lignin, resulting in its rich phenolic hydroxyl content. The detailed structural elucidation of DES lignin's chemical interactions with CMC provided valuable insights into the advantageous properties observed in the films, presenting innovative solutions for applications in the food packaging and preservation industries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The structural properties and biological activities of okra pectic polysaccharides (OPs) were impacted by various extraction methods. Based on commonly grinding (40, 100 meshes) and superfine grinding okra powders, two extraction solvents (hydrochloric acid, HA; citric acid, CA) were used firstly. Next, the extraction yield, physical and chemical properties, molecular structure and functional properties of OPs were analyzed by non-ultrasonic treatment and ultrasound-assisted superfine grinding method. The outcomes demonstrated that the extraction yield of OPs rose as the particle size of the powder decreased. HA-OPs had higher molecular weight (Mw), apparent viscosity and emulsification ability than CA-OPs. CA-OPs had higher esterification degree (DE), solubility and total sugar content, and higher amounts of rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) segments. Compared with OPs without ultrasound-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted superfine grinding extraction exhibited higher sugar content, antioxidant capacity, emulsification ability, lower Mw, DE and apparent viscosity. Finally, the correlation between structure and function of OPs was further quantified. The antioxidant capacity was positively correlated with RG-I content, and negatively correlated with DE and Mw. The emulsification ability was mainly positively correlated with the GlcA of OPs. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development of OPs foods with clear structure-function relationship, which would be instructive for the application of OPs in food and cosmetics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The subtle balance between the interactions of polysaccharide molecules and the interactions of polysaccharide molecules with oil molecules is significantly important for developing polysaccharide-based polyunsaturated oleogels. Here, hydroxylpropyl methyl cellulose and xanthan gum were used to structure edible oleogels via emulsion-template methodology, while the effects of drying methods (hot-air drying (AD) and vacuum-freeze drying (FD)) and oil types (walnut, flaxseed and Moringa seed oil) on the structure, oil binding capacity (OBC), rheological properties, thermal behaviors and stability of oleogels were specially investigated. Compared with AD oleogels, FD oleogels exhibited significantly better OBC, enhanced gelation strength (G' value) and better capacity to holding oil after high temperature processing, which was attributed to the possibly increased oil-polysaccharide interactions. However, the weakened polysaccharide-polysaccharide interactions in FD oleogels failed in providing stronger physical interface or enough rigidity to restrict the migration of oil molecules. Polyunsaturated triacylglycerols in vegetable oils deeply participated in the construction of the network of AD oleogels through weak intermolecular non-covalent interactions, which in turn greatly changed the crystallization and melting behaviors of vegetables oils. In brief, this research may provide useful information for the development of polysaccharide-based polyunsaturated oil oleogels., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study focused on elucidating the non-covalent interactions between hemp seed globulin (GLB) and two hemp seed phenolic compounds, Cannabisin A (CA) and Cannabisin B (CB), and to explore these interactions on the protein's structure, conformation, and functionality. Fluorescence quenching and thermodynamic analysis revealed that static quenching governed non-covalent interaction processes, with hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces functioning as major forces. This was further substantiated by molecular docking studies. The binding affinity order was CA > CB, indicating that the specific phenolic compound had a notable impact on the binding affinity. Furthermore, when complexed with CA, Tyr and Trp residues were exposed to a more hydrophilic environment than when complexed with CB. It was noted that the complexation with either CA or CB consistently affects GLB's secondary structure, particle size, and ζ-potential. GLB treated with the phenolic compounds exhibited enhanced ABTS and DPPH scavenging activities and improved digestibility compared to untreated GLB. Furthermore, the non-covalent interactions significantly increased CA's water solubility, highlighting GLB as a promising natural carrier for hydrophobic bioactive components. These findings hold potential implications for enhancing hemp seed protein applications within the food industry by positively influencing its functional properties and bioactivity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. No conflict of interest exists in the submission of this manuscript, and the manuscript is approved by all authors for publication., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study develops hemp seed globulin (GLB)-alginate (ALG) nanoparticles (GANPs) for Cannabisin A (CA) stabilization under environmental stress and during pepsin digestion. The optimal GLB: ALG mass ratio of 1: 1.5 was determined for GANPs formation at pH 3.5, resulting in a high yield of 95.13 ± 0.91 %, a ζ-potential of -35.73 ± 1.04 mV, a hydrodynamic diameter of 470.67 ± 11.36 nm, and a PDI of 0.298 ± 0.016. GANPs were employed to encapsulate CA, achieving a high loading capacity of 13.48 ± 0.04 μg mg -1 . FTIR analysis demonstrated that the formation of CA-GLB-ALG nanoparticles (CGANPs) involves electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions. XRD and DSC analyses revealed that CA is amorphous within the CGANPs. CGANPs demonstrated remarkable dispersion stability as well as resistance to high ionic strength and high-temperature treatments, indicating their potential as efficient hydrophobic drug-delivery vehicles. When compared to free CA, CA coated within CGANPs displayed greater DPPH/ABTS scavenging activity. Furthermore, the ALG-shelled nanoparticles protected GLB from pepsin digestion and slowed the release of CA throughout the release process, extending their stay on the intestinal wall mucosa. These findings imply that CGANPs is an ideal delivery vehicle for CA as they may expand the application of CA in food items., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Herein, DES lignin was obtained by pretreatment of grapevine with a deep eutectic solvent (ChCl-LA). A novel chitosan-DES lignin composite aerogel material (CS-LIG aerogel) was prepared to adsorb methylene blue (MB), Congo red (CR), catechin (C), and epicatechin (EC). The CS-LIG aerogel was systematically characterized by modern technological instruments. It was demonstrated that the DES lignin was successfully incorporated and had an important effect on the morphological structure and adsorption of dyes and natural products in the aerogel. The adsorption kinetic models for both adsorbed CR and MB are pseudo-second-order models. Adsorption isotherms followed Langmuir for the adsorption of CR and Freundlich for the adsorption of MB. The π-π interaction and hydrogen bonding of DES lignin aromatic groups in CS-LIG aerogels were responsible for the adsorption of C and EC with 86.42 % and 90.85 % removal rates, respectively. This study opens a new avenue for the high-value utilization of DES lignin and the preparation of chitosan-based composites for the adsorption of dyes and purification of natural products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, five polysaccharides were extracted from processed Cistanche deserticola. The processing included crude product, enzymatic hydrolysis, hot air drying, stir-baking with wine and high-pressure steaming, and these polysaccharides were named as CP-CDPs, EH-CDPs, HAD-CDPs, SBW-CDPs and HPS-CDPs, respectively. The structural characteristics and biological activities were explored. The results showed that processing changed properties of C. deserticola polysaccharides. CP-CDPs had the highest brightness value L*(93.84) and carbohydrate content (61.27 %). EH-CDPs had minimum M w (1531.50 kDa), while SBW-CDPs had maximum M w (2526.0 kDa). Glucose was major predominant monosaccharide in CP-CDPs (89.82 %), HAD-CDPs (79.3 %), SBW-CDPs (59.41 %) and HPS-CDPs (63.86 %), while galactose was major monosaccharide in EH-CDPs (29.44 %). According to SEM, SBW-CDPs showed compact structures, while HPS-CDPs and HAD-CDPs had similar looser structure than SBW-CDPs; meanwhile, CP-CDPs showed irregular agglomeration shape and EH-CDPs was dense blocky shape. The AFM showed SBW-CDPs had the largest molecular chain than other polysaccharides. When scavenging activity reaching 50 %, the concentrations of CP-CDPs, EH-CDPs, HAD-CDPs, SBW-CDPs, HPS-CDPs are 2.25, 0.25, 0.75, 1.8 and 1.5 mg/mL, respectively. This study sheds light on the effects of traditional Chinese medicine processing on characteristics, bioactivities of C. deserticola polysaccharides, and provides the basis for applications in food and pharmaceutical industries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been extensively applied to pretreat lignocellulose; however, comparative research on acidic and alkaline DES pretreatment is relatively lacking. Herein, pretreatment of grapevine agricultural by-products with seven DESs were compared in terms of removal of lignin and hemicellulose and component analysis of the pretreated residues. Among the tested DESs, both acidic choline chloride-lactic (CHCl-LA), and alkaline potassium carbonate-ethylene glycol (K 2 CO 3 -EG) were effective in delignification. Thereafter, the CHCl-LA and K 2 CO 3 -EG extracted lignin was compared by analyzing their physicochemical structure changes and antioxidant properties. The results showed that the thermal stability, molecular weight, and phenol hydroxyl percentage of CHCl-LA lignin were inferior to K 2 CO 3 -EG lignin. It was found that the high antioxidant activity of K 2 CO 3 -EG lignin was mainly attributed to the abundant phenol hydroxyl, guaiacyl (G), and para-hydroxy-phenyl (H). By comparing acidic and alkaline DES pretreatments and their lignin nuances in biorefining, novel insights are derived for the scheduling and selection of DES for lignocellulosic pretreatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the study, the adjuvant features of the immunoregulatory polysaccharide component CARP2 isolated from cultivated Artemisia rupestris L. for influenza virus vaccine (IVV) and the mechanism responsible for its action in DCs were further explored. CARP2 showed a typical absorbance peak of polysaccharides in spectral analysis. At two doses of CARP2-adjuvanted IVV, IgG, hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers, and effector/memory T cells were generated and lasted for 275 days without adverse events. CARP2 primed rapid HI and IgG, IgG2a/IgG1 ratio, splenocyte proliferation, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), and facilitated the generation of INF-γ and IL-4 by activating DCs and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Additionally, CARP2 achieved the ten-fold dose-sparing effect. In vitro, CARP2 stimulated DCs to prime the production of Th1/Th2 cytokines and CCR7 and activated MyD88-dependent pathway by upregulating the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF-6, and p65. In contrast, MyD88, TRAF-6, and NF-κB inhibitors partially blocked the effect through reducing related cytokines and proteins. Overall, CARP2 promoted IVV efficacy, which was involved in the modulation of Th1/Th2 responses and shifted toward Th1-polarizing response via TLR4/MyD88/TRAF/NF-κB activation in DCs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tup1, a conserved transcriptional repressor, plays a critical role in the growth and development of fungi. Here, we identified a BsTup1 gene from the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana. The expression of BsTup1 showed a more than three-fold increase during the conidial stage compared with mycelium stage. Deletion of BsTup1 led to decrease hyphal growth and defect in conidia formation. A significant difference was detected in osmotic, oxidative, or cell wall stress responses between the WT and ΔBsTup1 strains. Pathogenicity assays showed that virulence of the ΔBsTup1 mutant was dramatically decreased on wheat and barely leaves. Moreover, it was observed that hyphal tips of the mutants could not form appressorium-like structures on the inner epidermis of onion and barley coleoptile. Yeast two-hybrid assays indicated that BsTup1 could interact with the BsSsn6. RNAseq revealed significant transcriptional changes in the ΔBsTup1 mutant with 2369 genes down-regulated and 2962 genes up-regulated. In these genes, we found that a subset of genes involved in fungal growth, sporulation, cell wall integrity, osmotic stress, oxidation stress, and pathogenicity, which were misregulated in the ΔBsTup1 mutant. These data revealed that BsTup1 has multiple functions in fungal growth, development, stress response and pathogenesis in B. sorokiniana., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study aims to investigate the constituents, adjuvant effects, and underlying mechanisms of purified polysaccharides from cultivated Cistanche deserticola (C. deserticola). Two macromolecules designated as CCDP-1 (26.5 kDa) and CCDP-2 (32.3 kDa) from C. deserticola were respectively identified as carbohydrate-lignin complexes with 44.1 % and 43.8 % lignin. CCDP-1 and CCDP-2 were composed of glucose, rhamnose, galactose, arabinose, and mannose respectively in the molar ratios of 7.22: 5.98:2.51:1.81:1.00 and 6.57:8.48:4.20:2.72:1.00. An in vitro experiment revealed that endotoxin-free CCDP-1 and CCDP-2 promoted splenocyte proliferation without cytotoxicity, but CCDP-2 induced dendritic cell (DC) maturation more efficiently than CCDP-1. An in vivo experiment suggested that CCDP-2 enhanced OVA-specific antibody production, antigen-specific T-cell activation, IFN-γ production, IL-4 production, and DC activation. Notably, CCDP-2 elicited a Th1-biased response. Mechanically, CCDP-2 upregulated CD40, CD80, CD86, and MHC II, facilitated allogeneic T-cell proliferation and Th1/Th2 cytokines, improved IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-6, and TNF-α production, and decreased endocytosis from DCs in vitro. Blocking assays indicated that TLR2 and TLR4 were the membrane receptor candidates of DCs. Western blot implied that CCDP-2 with the immune-enhancing activities were involved in the activation of MAPKs and NF-κB pathways in a dose-/time-related manner and could be employed as a more balanced Th1/Th2 adjuvant for vaccine exploitation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, membrane separation technology was employed to separate polysaccharide fractions from the water extract of quinoa seeds. The chemical composition, structure characteristic and morphology were analyzed by chemical methods and instrumental analysis including HPLC-DAD, UV, FT-IR, Congo red test, SEM, AFM, XRD, TGA and NMR. Results indicated that three polysaccharide fractions named as QPs-I, QPs-II and QPs-III were successfully separated using microfiltration and ultrafiltration membrane with MWCO of 300 and 10 kDa in sequence. The Mw and polysaccharide content of three fractions were QPs-I (4609 Da, 33.75%), QPs-II (15,932 Da, 45.31%) and QPs-III (960,895 Da, 34.65%), respectively. The polysaccharide in three fractions was heteropolysaccharide that mainly consisted of glucose, galactose and arabinose, with their combined monosaccharide percentage being 91.17% in QPs-I, 87.81% in QPs-II, and 91.72% in QPs-III, respectively. All three polysaccharide fractions contained triple-helix structure. Biological experiment showed that antioxidant and antidiabetic activities in dose-dependent manners and also revealed immunoregulatory activity on RAW264.7 cells. These results indicated that QPs has the potential to be used in a natural agent in antioxidant, antidiabetic and immunoregulation functional food., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

To study the characterization and hepatoprotective activity of polysaccharide from maca (Lepidium meyenii), the main polysaccharide from maca (MP-1) was obtained by DEAE-52 cellulose column. The average molecular weight of MP-1 was 1067.3kDa and the polysaccharide purity was 91.63%. In order to assess the antioxidant activities of MP-1, four kinds of methods were used, including scavenging hydroxyl radical, DPPH, superoxide anion radical, and FRAP, and the results indicated high antioxidant activities. Furthermore, hepatoprotective activity of MP-1 was studied both in vitro and vivo. In vitro, the alcohol induced Hep-G2 cells model was established to evaluate the protective effect of MP-1, which demonstrated MP-1 can alleviate alcohol damage in Hep-G2 cells. In vivo, the Institute　of　Cancer　Researcch (ICR) mice were used to evaluate hepatoprotecive effects of MP-1 on alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Supplement with MP-1 supressed the triglyceride level both in serum and in hepatic tissue. In addition, MP-1 ameliorated serous transaminases increase induced by alcohol, including aspartate transaminase, alanine aminotransferase, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. Moreover, MP-1 also dramatically increased the superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione s-transferase levels in alcoholic mice. Meantime, histopathologic results MP-1 lighten inflammation induced by alcohol. These results indicate that MP-1 possesses hepatoprotective activity against hepatic injury induced by alcohol., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To research the preliminary characterizations, antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of polysaccharides from Cistanche deserticola (CDPs), three polysaccharide fractions, CDP-A, CDP-B and CDP-C, were obtained by successively membrane filtration (microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration). Molecular weights, monosaccharide compositions, purities and IR spectra of the three fractions were analyzed. Results showed that CDP-C contained higher proportion of galacturonic acid (GalUA) than CDP-B and CDP-A. Antioxidant activities were also analyzed and the results revealed that CDP-C possessed the highest activity. Thus, hepatoprotective activity of CDP-C was studied further. In vitro research, CDP-C promoted viability of HepG2 cells. In vivo research, CDP-C ameliorated the alterations induced by alcohol, including serological indexes (alanine transaminase, acid phosphatase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and triglyceride) and hepatic indicators (superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, glutathione S-transferase and triglyceride) in model animals. The prominent microvesicular steatosis and mild necrosis in hepatic histopathology of model animals were also attenuated by CDP-C administration. These findings indicated that CDP-C possessed hepatoprotective activity against chronic hepatic injury induced by alcohol. The underlying mechanism might be that CDP-C can reduce the contents of MDA and TG, and modulate the activities of the relative enzyme. This property might associate with GalUA in CDP-C., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Ultrasonic extraction (USE) of polysaccharide from cordyceps cephalosporium mycelia was introduced and compared with hot water extraction. Crude polysaccharides were investigated for morphological and thermodynamic properties. Two major fractions (USEP40-1, USEP70-1) were purified and investigated for IR spectra, molecular weights, monosaccharide compositions and antioxidant activities. The results suggested that USE gained higher extraction efficiency due to its intense extraction process. USE caused a more compact arrangement in crude polysaccharides. IR spectra of USEP40-1 and USEP70-1 were different at around 1746 cm(-1). The molecular weights of USEP40-1 and USEP70-1 were 61.4 kDa and 25.1 kDa. USEP40-1 and USEP70-1 were composed of D-mannose, D-glucose, D-galactose, L-rhamnose, and L-arabinose with molar ratio of 11.52:5.54:8.75:2.45:2.59 and 11.50:6.74:5.75:4.46:2.39, respectively. Different ABTS and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities were observed in USEP40-1 and USEP70-1., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Polysaccharides from cultivated Saussurea involucrata (CSIP) were purified, two major fractions (CSIP1-2 and CSIP2-3) were investigated for their molecular weights, monosaccharide compositions and in vitro antioxidant activities. The results suggested that the molecular weights of CSIP1-2 and CSIP2-3 were approximately 163.5 kDa and 88.6 kDa, respectively. CSIP1-2 was composed of glucose, galactose, xylose, rhamnose, arabinose and galacturonic acid with a molar ratio of 1.651:0.39:0.062:8.331:1.759:40.426. CSIP2-3 was composed of glucose, galactose, xylose, rhamnose, arabinose and galacturonic acid with a molar ratio of 0.762:0.657:0.112:5.587:0.318:44.655. Different scavenging activities on superoxide radical, DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical were observed in CSIP1-2 and CSIP2-3 at tested concentrations., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Polysaccharides were extracted from Asparagus officinalis. A novel ultrasonic circulating extraction (UCE) technology was applied for the polysaccharide extraction. Three-factor-three-level Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize ultrasonic power, extraction time and the liquid-solid ratio to obtain a high polysaccharide yield. The optimal extraction conditions were as follows: ultrasonic power was 600 W, extraction time was 46 min, the liquid-solid ratio was 35 mL/g. Under these conditions, the experimental yield of polysaccharides was 3.134%, which was agreed closely to the predicted value. The average molecular weight of A. officinalis polysaccharide was about 6.18×10(4) Da. The polysaccharides were composed of glucose, fucose, arabinose, galactose and rhamnose in a ratio of 2.18:1.86:1.50:0.98:1.53. Compared with hot water extraction (HWE), UCE showed time-saving, higher yield and no influence on the structure of asparagus polysaccharides. The results indicated that ultrasonic circulating extraction technology could be an effective and advisable technique for the large scale production of plant polysaccharides., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)