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Ionizing radiation is increasingly used to successfully diagnose many human health problems, but ionizing radiation may cause damage to organs/tissues in the living organisms such as the spleen, liver, skin, and brain. Many radiation protective agents have been discovered, with the deepening of radiation research. Unfortunately, these protective agents have many side effects, which cause drug resistance, nausea, vomiting, osteoporosis, etc. The polysaccharides extracted from natural sources are widely available and low in toxicity. In vivo and in vitro experiments have demonstrated that polysaccharides have anti-radiation activity through anti-oxidation, immune regulation, protection of hematopoietic system and protection against DNA damage. Recently, some studies have shown that polysaccharides were resistant to radiation. In the review, the anti-radiation activities of polysaccharides from different sources are summarized, and the anti-radiation mechanisms are discussed as well. It can be used to develop more effective anti-radiation management drugs., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Mesona blumes polysaccharide (MBP), a primary active component extracted from Mesona blumes, has a number of bioactivities. Nevertheless, hepatoprotective activity of MBP has been rarely reported. The purpose of this study is to investigate hepatoprotective effects of MBP on acute liver injury in mice. Results indicated that the MBP could remarkably decrease the increased levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the serum caused by tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) treatment (P < 0.05). Medium and high dose of MBP treatment (200 mg/kg body weight, 300 mg/kg body weight) not only prominently enhanced the levels of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD) and non-enzyme antioxidants (glutathione, GSH) compared with CCl 4 -induced, but also dramatically decreased lipid peroxidation levels of liver tissues (P < 0.05). In addition, medium and high doses of MBP significantly enhanced the serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α (P < 0.05). This study showed that MBP had hepatoprotective activity against acute liver injury caused by CCl 4 ., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Dialdehyde-based cross-linking agents are widely used in the cross-linking of amino group-containing macromolecules. However, the most commonly used cross-linking agents, glutaraldehyde (GA) and genipin (GP), have safety issues. In this study, a series of dialdehyde derivatives of polysaccharides (DADPs) were prepared by oxidation of polysaccharides, and their biocompatibility and cross-linking properties were tested using chitosan as a model macromolecule. The DADPs showed outstanding cross-linking and gelation properties comparable to GA and GP. The DADPs and hydrogels cross-linked with the DADPs exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility with different concentrations while significant cytotoxicity was observed in GA and GP. The experimental results showed that the cross-linking effect of DADPs increased along with their oxidation degree. The outstanding cross-linking effect of the DADPs show a potential for use in the cross-linking of biomacromolecules with amino groups and could be an adequate alternative to existing cross-linkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scutellaria baicalensis is a medicinal plant possessing abundant bioactive polysaccharides. This study aimed to optimize the ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction of S. baicalensis root polysaccharide (SRP) and investigate its hypoglycemic and immunomodulatory activities. The optimal extraction conditions found in this study were as follows: cellulase concentration 165.6 U/mL, temperature 57.3 °C, liquid-solid ratio 44.8 mL/g, time 50 min, and ultrasonic power 225 W; with the yield reached up to 12.27 %. The ion exchange and gel filtration chromatographies were used to obtain a purified SRP. The carbohydrate content of SRP was 85.09 %, with a relatively high content of uronic acids (11.27 %). The SRP had a molecular weight of 89.7 kDa and was composed of eight monosaccharides. The inhibitory activity of SRP against α-amylase and α-glucosidase was determined. It was revealed that SRP could effectively inhibit these two enzymes with IC 50 values of 1.23 and 0.63 mg/mL, respectively. Finally, the immunomodulatory effect of SRP on the dendritic cell activation was investigated, and the expressions of MHC II, CD80, CD86, and CD40 increased by 1.56, 1.96, 1.75, and 1.70 times, respectively, by the SRP treatment. This work will provide a foundation for SRP's efficient extraction and utilization for diabetes and immune therapy. [Display omitted] • SRP was extracted by the optimized ultrasound-assisted enzymatic method. • The maximum extraction yield of SRP reached up to 12.27 %. • SRP (molecular weight 89.7 kDa) was composed of eight monosaccharides. • SRP has strong inhibitory activities against α-amylase and α-glucosidase. • SRP has a potent immunomodulatory activity on dendritic cell maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of Mesona chinensis polysaccharide (MCP) on the pasting, thermal, rheological, and textural properties of wheat starch were investigated. Rapid viscosity analysis results showed that MCP protects the integrity of starch granules at low concentration in the early stage of pasting. The gelatinization temperature of wheat starch–MCP gels was markedly increased with the increase in polysaccharide concentration, whereas gelatinization enthalpy (Δ H gel ) decreased. Rheological analysis showed that the starch:MCP = 8.5:1.5 system exhibited a strong thixotropic property and the highest G′ and G″ among the other systems. The same results were observed in the textural experiment, indicating the existence of strong intermolecular interactions between starch granules and MCP. These results indicated that MCP can improve the thermal stability in the early stage of pasting and enhance the rheological properties of wheat starch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]