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Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

A polysaccharide, CZS-0-1, was obtained from the marine green algae Codium fragile using ion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Composition and characteristics analyses showed CZS-0-1 was a sulfated galactoarabinan consisting of arabinose, galactose and a small amount of glucose in a ratio of 9:2:1 with 21% sulfate content and a molecular weight of 810 kDa. Structural properties were determined using desulfation and methylation analyses combined with instrument analysis. The results showed that the backbone of CZS-0-1 was (1 → 3)-β-L-Arap. Its O-4 and/or O-2 positions showed sulfate modification; additionally, it had 10% of (1 → 3)-β-D-Galp branches at the O-4 position of the (1 → 3)-β-L-Arap. The galactose side chains also had sulfate modification at the O-4 or O-6 position. The structure of CZS-0-1 was further confirmed by Top-down analysis of the oligosaccharides after oxidated hydrolysis by mass spectrometry. CZS-0-1 exhibited significant heparin-like anticoagulant activity. It exerted anticoagulant effects by inhibiting FIIa and FXa activities with the presence of heparin cofactors. The anticoagulant activity of CSZ-0-1 was closely related to the molecular weight, and the reduction of molecular weight may lead to a significant decrease in the anticoagulant activity. This study demonstrated that the green algae, Codium fragile can be considered as a useful resource for bioactive polysaccharides., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we do not have any commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the work submitted., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Zhu-Ling decoction (ZLD), a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is used for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases. However, the structure and activity of absorbed oligosaccharides (OSs) in ZLD are not clear. In this study, a novel strategy with in vivo characterization, extraction, isolation, activity evaluation was established and applied to identify absorbed anti-inflammatory OSs in ZLD. The results revealed that 30 OSs (22 reducing and 8 non-reducing OSs) and 11 OSs (7 reducing and 4 non-reducing OS) were characterized from ZLD in vitro and in vivo by using UPLC/Q-TOF-MS with PMP derivatization, respectively. Among them, a series of -1 → 3-β-D-Glcp-OSs were isolated and identified by HPLC-HILIC-UVD-ELSD, SPHPLC-HILIC-RID, monosaccharide composition, MS and 1D/2D-NMR spectroscopy, including laminaritriose, laminaritetraose, laminaripentaose, laminarihexaose, laminariheptaose, laminarioctaose and laminarinonaose. Moreover, the 4 non-reducing absorbed OSs were identified by comparison with reference standards, including sucrose, trehalose, raffinose and stachyose. Among them, laminaritriose, laminaritetraose and laminaripentaose significantly inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 levels in LPS-induced HK-2 cell and exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects via the NF-κB and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. Together, our work provides a novel strategy for discovery of absorbed anti-inflammatory OSs and broadens new horizons for the discovery of in vivo pharmacodynamic substances in TCM formulas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) has been widely used to treat splenic deficiency syndrome. Previous studies confirmed that polysaccharides and non-polysaccharides (NPS) are the main active components of SJZD. This study aimed to investigate the composition and activity of oligosaccharides in NPS. In this study, the oligosaccharide component (named SJZD-OGS), consisting of several different oligosaccharides, was separated and purified from non-polysaccharides of SJZD (SJZD_NPS). Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-IMS-QTOF/MS), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) were used to analyze SJZD-OGS. SJZD-OGS, with a molecular weight of 2178 Da, was composed of glucose and fructose, and its chemical composition mainly included fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) with a degree of polymerization of 3-14 (DP 3-14). The results of oligosaccharide source exploration demonstrated that the chemical composition of SJZD-OGS was different from that of the oligosaccharides of each herb in SJZD. In addition, SJZD-OGS showed good anti-inflammatory activity on macrophage cells and intestinal epithelial cell protective activity. The present work provides experimental evidence for elucidating the pharmaceutical components of SJZD and presents an effective strategy for the research of oligosaccharides in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

There are great challenges in the field of natural product isolation and purification and in the pharmacological study of oligosaccharide monomers. And these isolation and purification processes are still universal problems in the study of natural products (NPs), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), omics, etc. The same polymer-modified materials designed for the special separation of oligosaccharides, named Sil-epoxy-PEI and Sil-chloropropyl-PEI, were synthesized via two different methods and characterized by scanning electron microscopy combined with energy spectrum analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, zeta potential as well as surface area analysis, etc. Several nucleotide/nucleoside molecules with different polarities and selectivities were successfully isolated in our laboratory using stainless-steel columns filled with the synthesized material. In addition, the separation of saccharide probes and oligosaccharides mixtures in water extracts of Morinda officinalis were compared in HILIC mode. The results showed that the resolution of separations for the representative analytes of the Sil-epoxy-PEI column was higher than for the Sil-chloropropyl-PEI column, and the developed stationary phase exhibited improved performance compared to hydrothermal carbon, amide columns and other HILIC materials previously reported.

Red seaweed carrageenans are frequently used in industry for its texturizing properties and have demonstrated antiviral activities that can be used in human medicine. However, their high viscosity, high molecular weight, and low skin penetration limit their use. Low-weight carrageenans have a reduced viscosity and molecular weight, enhancing their biological properties. In this study, ι-carrageenan from Solieria chordalis , extracted using hot water and dialyzed, was depolymerized using hydrogen peroxide and ultrasound. Ultrasonic depolymerization yielded fractions of average molecular weight (50 kDa) that were rich in sulfate groups (16% and 33%) compared to those from the hydrogen peroxide treatment (7 kDa, 6% and 9%). The potential bioactivity of the polysaccharides and low-molecular-weight (LMW) fractions were assessed using WST-1 and LDH assays for human fibroblast viability, proliferation, and cytotoxicity. The depolymerized fractions did not affect cell proliferation and were not cytotoxic. This research highlights the diversity in the biochemical composition and lack of cytotoxicity of Solieria chordalis polysaccharides and LMW fractions produced by a green (ultrasound) depolymerization method.

Feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs) generated by decomposing plant hemicellulose, offer a wide range of potential applications in both the food and biomedical areas. As a graminaceous plant, bamboo is rich in hemicellulose. However, the structural composition and activity studies of FOs from it were rarely reported. In this study, FOs from Phyllostachys acuta (pFOs) obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis were isolated by AmberliteXAD-2 and C18 SPE columns. Then, pFOs were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS after labeled by 3-Amino-9-ethyl-carbazole (AEC), and the chemical antioxidant activity of pFOs and effects of pFOs on H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative damage were investigated. Finally, 14 of pFOs isomers were distinguished and identified, of which 10 did not contain hexoses and 4 did, and the three most abundant pFO structures were 12 (Iso 7, F1A1X2H2-AEC, 29.04 %), 11 (Iso 6, F1A1X1H2-AEC, 17.96 %), and 4 (Iso 3-1, F1A1X3-AEC, 15.57 %). The results of antioxidant studies showed that pFOs possessed certain reducing power, scavenging DPPH radicals, scavenging superoxide anion radicals, and scavenging hydroxyl radicals. Among them, the ability to clear DPPH radicals was particularly significant. pFOs significantly reduced the viability of RAW264.7 cells after H 2 O 2 induction, whereas pFOs had a significant protective effect (p < 0.001). pFOs increased the viability of T-AOC and SOD enzymes in oxidatively damaged cells, as well as had a significant inhibition effect on ROS elevation (p < 0.001). This study lays the foundation for the structural analysis and antioxidant activity evaluation of bamboo-derived feruloyl oligosaccharides for their application in food and pharmaceutical fields., 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 Ltd.)

Three polysaccharides (SnNG, SnFS and SnFG) were purified from the body wall of Stichopus naso . The physicochemical properties, including monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, sulfate content, and optical rotation, were analyzed, confirming that SnFS and SnFG are sulfated polysaccharides commonly found in sea cucumbers. The highly regular structure {3)-L-Fuc 2S -(α1,} n of SnFS was determined via a detailed NMR analysis of its oxidative degradation product. By employing β-elimination depolymerization of SnFG, tri-, penta-, octa-, hendeca-, tetradeca-, and heptadeca-saccharides were obtained from the low-molecular-weight product. Their well-defined structures confirmed that SnFG possessed the backbone of { D -GalNAc 4S6S -β(1,4)- D -GlcA}, and each GlcA residue was branched with Fuc 2S4S . SnFS and SnFG are both structurally the simplest version of natural fucan sulfate and fucosylated glycosaminoglycan, facilitating the application of low-value sea cucumbers S. naso . Bioactivity assays showed that SnFG and its derived oligosaccharides exhibited potent anticoagulation and intrinsic factor Xase (iXase) inhibition. Moreover, a comparative analysis with the series of oligosaccharides solely branched with Fuc 3S4S showed that in oligosaccharides with lower degrees of polymerization, such as octasaccharides, Fuc 2S4S led to a greater increase in APTT prolongation and iXase inhibition. As the degree of polymerization increases, the influence from the sulfation pattern diminishes, until it is overshadowed by the effects of molecular weight.

In the present study, sulfated polysaccharides were obtained by digestion of Sargassum horneri and preparation with enzyme-assisted extraction using three food-grade enzymes, and their anti- Alzheimer's activities were investigated. The results demonstrated that the crude sulfated polysaccharides extracted using AMGSP, CSP and VSP dose-dependently (25-100 µg·mL - 1 ) raised the spontaneous alternating manner (%) in the Y maze experiment of mice and reduced the escape latency time in Morris maze test. AMGSP, CSP and VSP also exhibited good anti-AChE and moderate anti-BuChE activities. CSP displayed the best inhibitory efficacy against AChE. with IC 50 values of 9.77 µM. And, CSP also exhibited good inhibitory selectivity of AChE over BuChE. Next, CSP of the best active crude extract was separated by the preparation type high performance liquid phase to obtain the sulphated fucooligosaccharide section: SFcup (→3-α-L-fucp(2-SO 3 - )-1→4-α-L-fucp(2,3-SO 3 - )-1→section), SFcup showed a best inhibitory efficacy against AChE with IC 50 values of 4.03 µM. The kinetic research showed that SFcup inhibited AChE through dual binding sites. Moreover, the molecular docking of SFcup at the AChE active site was in accordance with the acquired pharmacological results., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Alhagi honey is derived from the secretory granules of Alhagi pseudoalhagi Desv., a leguminous plant commonly known as camelthorn. Modern medical research has demonstrated that the extract of Alhagi honey possesses regulatory properties for the gastrointestinal tract and immune system, as well as exerts anti-tumor, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and hepatoprotective effects. The aim of this study was to isolate and purify oligosaccharide monomers (referred to as Mel) from camelthorn and elucidate their structural characteristics. Subsequently, the impact of Mel on liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) in mice was investigated. The analysis identified the isolated oligosaccharide monomer (α-D-Glcp-(1 → 3)-β-D-Fruf-(2 → 1)-α-D-Glcp), with the molecular formula C 18 H 32 O 16 . In a mouse model of CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis, Mel demonstrated significant therapeutic effects by attenuating the development of fibrosis. Moreover, it enhanced anti-oxidant enzyme activity (glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) in liver tissues, thereby reducing oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species). Mel also improved serum albumin levels, lowered liver enzyme activities (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase), and decreased inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6). Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blotting analyses confirmed the ability of Mel to downregulate hepatic stellate cell-specific markers (collagen type I alpha 1 chain, alpha-smooth muscle actin, transforming growth factor-beta 1. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis revealed the influence of Mel on metabolic pathways related to glutathione, niacin, pyrimidine, butyric acid, and amino acids. In conclusion, the results of our study highlight the promising potential of Mel, derived from Alhagi honey, as a viable candidate drug for treating liver fibrosis. This discovery offers a potentially advantageous option for individuals seeking natural and effective means to promote liver health., 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.)

Morinda officinalis How oligosaccharide (MOO) stands as one of the principal active constituents of M. officinalis How, widely employed in traditional Chinese medicine. The methods for MOO extraction predominantly encompass hot water extraction, ethanol extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction. Distinct extraction techniques yield varying MOO quantities. MOO encompasses a diversity of oligosaccharides, including bajijiasu, sucrose, 1-kestose, nystose, mannose, 1F-fructofuranosylnystose, 1,1,1,1-kestohexose, fructoheptasaccharide, inulin-type hexasaccharide, inulin-type heptasaccharide, inulotriose, inulotetraose, inulopentaose, and mannose. MOO exhibits a wide spectrum of biological activities, exerting specific effects on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, motor system, reproductive system, and immune system. It demonstrates antidepressant properties, offers potential in mitigating Alzheimer's disease, stimulates angiogenesis, and possesses anti-osteoporotic and other pharmacological effects. Clinically, when combined with various antidepressants, MOO exhibits specific therapeutic efficacy across multiple forms of depression. As a naturally occurring plant oligosaccharide, MOO holds diverse pharmaceutical applications. This article conducts a review of the latest extraction and purification methodologies, structural characterization analysis, biological activity assessment, and clinical applications of MOO. Such a comprehensive analysis yields innovative insights for advancing the research and application of MOO in the future., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a disease characterized by extensive lung damage and rampant inflammation, with a high mortality rate and no effective treatments available. Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides (MOOs), derived from the root of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Morinda officinalis, known for its immune-boosting properties, presents a novel therapeutic possibility. To date, the impact of MOOs on ALI has not been explored. Our study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of MOOs against ALI and to uncover the underlying mechanisms through an integrated approach of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation. We discovered that MOOs significantly mitigated the pathological damage and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in LPS-induced ALI in mice. Complementary in vitro studies further demonstrated that MOOs effectively attenuated the M1 polarization induced by LPS. Network pharmacology analysis identified HSP90AA1, HSP90AB1, and NF-κB as key overlapping targets within a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Furthermore, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses elucidated the biological processes and signaling pathways implicated in MOOs' therapeutic action on ALI. Subsequently, molecular docking affirmed the binding of MOOs to the active sites of these identified targets. Corroborating these findings, our in vivo and in vitro experiments consistently demonstrated that MOOs significantly inhibited the LPS-induced upregulation of HSP90 and NF-κB. Collectively, these findings suggest that MOOs confer protection against ALI through a multi-target, multi-pathway mechanism, offering a promising new therapeutic strategy to mitigate this severe pulmonary condition., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Despite their many important physiological functions, past work on the diverse sequences of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) has been focused mainly on the highly abundant HMOs with a relatively low degree of polymerization (DP) due to the lack of efficient methods for separation/purification and high-sensitivity sequencing of large-sized HMOs with DP ≥ 10. Here we established an ultrahigh-temperature preparative HPLC based on a porous graphitized carbon column at up to 145 °C to overcome the anomeric α/β splitting problem and developed further the negative-ion ESI-CID-MS/MS into multistage MS n using a combined product-ion scanning of singly charged molecular ion and doubly charged fragment ion of the branching Gal and adjacent GlcNAc residues. The separation and sequencing method allows efficient separation of a neutral fraction with DP ≥ 10 into 70 components, among which 17 isomeric difucosylated nona- and decasaccharides were further purified and sequenced. As a result, novel branched difucosyl heptaose and octaose backbones were unambiguously identified in addition to the conventional linear and branched octaose backbones. The novel structures of difucosylated DF- novo -heptaose, DF- novo -LNO I, and DF- novo -LNnO I were corroborated by NMR. The various fucose-containing Lewis epitopes identified on different backbones were confirmed by oligosaccharide microarray analysis.

A method based on high performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) was developed for the quantitative analysis of three active compounds and chemical fingerprint analyses of saccharides in Morindae officinalis radix. Ten batches of Morindae officinalis radix were collected from different plantations in the Guangdong region of China and used to establish the fingerprint. The samples were separated with a COSMOIL Sugar-D column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) by using gradient elution with water (A) and acetonitrile (B). In addition, Trapped-Ion-Mobility (tims) Time-Of-Flight (tims TOF) was used to identify saccharides of Morindae officinalis radix. Fingerprint chromatogram presented 26 common characteristic peaks in the roots of Morinda officinalis How, and the similarities were more than 0.926. In quantitative analysis, the three compounds showed good regression (r = 0.9995-0.9998) within the test ranges, and the recoveries of the method were in the range of 96.7-101.7%. The contents of sucrose, kestose and nystose in all samples were determined as 1.21-7.92%, 1.02-3.37%, and 2.38-6.55%, respectively. The developed HPLC fingerprint method is reliable and was validated for the quality control and identification of Morindae officinalis radix and can be successfully used to assess the quality of Morindae officinalis radix.

The aim of this study was to optimize and compare the production of galactooligosaccharides (GOSs) by free and cotton cloth-immobilized Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase, and perform economical evaluation of production of GOSs (100%) between them. Using the response surface method, the optimal reaction time (3.9 h), initial lactose concentration (57.13%), and enzyme to lactose ratio (44.81 U/g) were obtained for the free enzyme, which provided a GOSs yield of 32.62%. For the immobilized enzyme, the optimal yield of GOSs (32.48%) was obtained under reaction time (3.09 h), initial lactose concentration (52.74%), and temperature (50.0 ℃). And it showed desirable reusability during five successive enzymatic reactions. The recovery rate of GOSs (100%) is 65% using silica gel filtration chromatography. The economical evaluation showed almost no difference in the manufacturing cost for the GOSs (100%) between these two systems, and that the recovery rate had a great impact on the cost., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sustainable industry practices and circular economy concepts encourage the transformation of production waste into by-products. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used in fermentation industry worldwide, generating large amounts of spent yeast which is mainly directed to animal feed or discarded as waste. Instead of becoming and environmental problem, spent yeast can be directed to the extraction of valuable compounds such as mannans and mannan oligosaccharides (MOS). This review presents a compilation of the studies up to date regarding the different chemical, enzymatic, mechanical or physical processes addressed for mannans extraction and MOS production. Additionally, the existing studies on the chemical modification of mannans aimed to improve specific characteristics are also discussed. Finally, the more relevant bioactivities and potential applications of mannans, MOS and mannose are presented, together with products on the market containing these compounds., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The xyloglucanase gene (RmXEG12A) from Rhizomucor miehei CAU432 was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The highest xyloglucanase activity of 25,700 U mL -1 was secreted using high cell density fermentation. RmXEG12A was optimally active at pH 7.0 and 65 °C, respectively. The xyloglucanase exhibited the highest specific activity towards xyloglucan (7915.5 U mg -1 ). RmXEG12A was subjected to hydrolyze tamarind powder to produce xyloglucan oligosaccharides with the degree of polymerization (DP) 7-9. The hydrolysis ratio of xyloglucan in tamarind powder was 89.8%. Moreover, xyloglucan oligosaccharides (2.0%, w/w) improved the water holding capacity (WHC) of yoghurt by 1.1-fold and promoted the growth of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles by 2.3 and 1.6-fold, respectively. Therefore, a suitable xyloglucanase for tamarind powder hydrolysis was expressed in P. pastoris at high level and xyloglucan oligosaccharides improved the quality of yoghurt., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Due to beneficial effects of galactosyl oligosaccharides (GOS) on digestive and immune health, their characterization has become increasingly important. This is especially so as GOS are synthesized enzymatically and contain oligosaccharides of different sizes and linkages. High performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD) is widely used for GOS characterization. With its high resolving power, it can separate structural isomers. Here we present a significant improvement to currently used methods. Our approach combines high resolution HPAE separation on a CarboPac PA300 column with 4 µm particle size with PAD and Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) detections to provide in-depth information on GOS composition. Oligosaccharide resolution, especially in the disaccharide region, is significantly improved and can be routinely achieved. Improvement in technology to remove sodium before MS results in minimal peak dispersion, allowing GOS degrees of polymerization 2 to 6 to be identified based on mass spectra obtained from intact oligosaccharides and confirmed using fragmentation patterns observed in MS/MS data. Combining HPAE with MS led to identification of 28 oligosaccharides in a commercial GOS sample. We attempted to correlate oligosaccharide structure with observed elution behavior. To our knowledge this is first such attempt and can form a basis for a comprehensive structure vs HPAE elution behavior database., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aristotelia chilensis is a plant rich in phenolics and other bioactive compounds. Their leaves are discarded as waste in the maqui berry industry. A new application of these wastes is intended by the recovery of bioactive compounds using pressurized hot water extraction with conventional or microwave heating. Both technologies have been selected for their green character regarding the type of solvent and the high efficiency in shorter operation times. Extractions were performed in the temperature range 140-200 °C with a solid/liquid ratio of 1:15 ( w:w ). The extracts' total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and saccharides content obtained with both heating methods were measured. Additionally, the thermo-rheological properties of the gelling matrix enriched with these extracts were analyzed. Optimum conditions for lyophilized extracts were found with conventional heating, at 140 °C and 20 min extraction; 250.0 mg GAE/g dry extract and 1321.5 mg Trolox/g dry extract. Close to optimum performance was achieved with microwave heating in a fraction of the time (5 min) at 160 °C (extraction), yielding extracts with 231.9 mg GAE/g dry extract of total phenolics and antiradical capacity equivalent to 1176.3 mg Trolox/g dry extract. Slightly higher antioxidant values were identified for spray-dried extracts (between 5% for phenolic content and 2.5% for antioxidant capacity). The extracts obtained with both heating methods at 200 °C contained more than 20% oligosaccharides, primarily glucose. All the formulated gelling matrices enriched with the obtained extracts displayed intermediate gel strength properties. The tested technologies efficiently recovered highly active antioxidant extracts, rich in polyphenolics, and valuable for formulating gelling matrices with potential applicability in foods and other products.

Finger citron pomace is a cheap and renewable by-product of the citrus processing industry, representing up to 60% of the fruit biomass. In this study, a pectinase-based and ultrasonic-assisted method was firstly used to extract pectic oligosaccharides (POS) from finger citron pomace. Using the orthogonal experiment design (OED), the maximum conversion rate of up to 64.5% from pomace to POS was obtained under the extraction conditions of 0.25 mg mL -1 pectinase and 50 mg mL -1 pectin at 45 °C and pH 4.5 for 2 h. The extracted POS was then fractionated and purified to homogeneous oligosaccharides (FCPOS-1) with a molecular weight of 2.15 kDa, and the analyses of monosaccharide composition, FTIR, NMR and ESI-MS indicated that FCPOS-1 consisted of GalA and a small amount of mannose, galactose and arabinose. Multiple antioxidant activity assays in vitro revealed that FCPOS-1 possessed remarkable antioxidant properties, especially scavenging activity against DPPH radicals up to 94.07%. FCPOS-1 has the potential to be an effective natural antioxidant for applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Biological activity of incomplete degradation products of polygalacturonic acid (IDPP) is closely related to its molecular weight and molecular weight distribution. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a reliable quantitative characterization method for evaluating these types of bioproducts. A novel method was established in this work for the quantitative characterization of IDPP based upon ethanol fractional precipitation. IDPP was fractionated into several fractions with high recovery (>95%), and the average molecular weights of each fraction was in descending order with the increase of ethanol concentration. Oligosaccharides (polymerization degree: 2-20) could be effectively harvested from the polygalacturonic acid enzymatic hydrolysate by ethanol precipitation. Moreover, the developed method had good repeatability and could also be applied to quantify enzymatic hydrolysis products of citrus-derived pectin polysaccharides. In conclusion, this paper provides a simple, accurate method for the quantitative characterization of IDPP and a strategy for the extraction of oligosaccharides., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Alginate is a biopolymer used extensively in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) derived from alginate exhibit superior biological activities and therapeutic potential. Alginate lyases with characteristic substrate specificity can facilitate the production of a broad array of AOS with precise structure and functionality. By adopting innovative analytical tools in conjunction with focused clinical studies, the structure-bioactivity relationship of a number of AOS has been brought to light. This review covers fundamental aspects and recent developments in AOS research. Enzymatic and microbial processes involved in AOS production from brown algae and sequential steps involved in AOS structure elucidation are outlined. Biological mechanisms underlying the health benefits of AOS and their potential industrial and therapeutic applications are elaborated. Withal, various challenges in AOS research are traced out, and future directions, specifically on recombinant systems for AOS preparation, are delineated to further widen the horizon of these exceptional oligosaccharides., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The advantages of using mixtures of organic solvents for the separation of labeled oligosaccharides on the amide stationary phase under hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography conditions are presented. The effect of the type of buffer as well as solvent or their mixtures on retention of uracil, saccharide labeling reagents (2-aminobenzoic acid, 2-aminobenzamide, ethyl 4-aminobenzoate, procainamide), and corresponding labeled saccharides were evaluated. The successful isocratic separation of labeled isomeric trisaccharides (maltotriose, panose, and isomaltotriose) was achieved in the mobile phase consisting of a 90% (v/v) mixture of organic solvents (methanol/acetonitrile 60:40) and 10% (v/v) 30 mM ammonium formate, pH 3.3. Changing the volume ratio between methanol/acetonitrile from 60:40 to 50:50 (v/v) allowed to obtain the separation of di-, tri-, and tetrasaccharides labeled by ethyl 4-aminobenzoate in less than 10.5 min., 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 © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

According to the high interest in agro-industrial waste reutilisation, underutilised lignocellulosic materials, such as walnut shell (WS) and pea pod (PP), come in focus. The aim of this paper was to evaluate WS and PP as sources for the production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS). Hemicelluloses from WS and PP were recovered by combining varying parameters of delignification and alkaline extraction. At optimal recovery conditions, the fractions were further hydrolysed to XOS using GH11 endo-xylanase, by varying time and enzyme concentration. Xylose was predominant in the monomeric composition of the obtained hemicelluloses, building low-branched (arabino)glucuronoxylan, in WS exclusively, while in PP some xyloglucan as well. Delignification was essential for high recovery of total xylose from the materials, up to at least 70 %. High xylan conversions were obtained for 24 h hydrolysis, resulting in xylobiose and xylotriose when using low enzyme concentration, while in xylose and xylobiose with high enzyme concentration., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microbial oligosaccharides have been regarded as one of the most appealing natural products attributable to their potent and selective bioactivities, such as antimicrobial activity, inhibition of α-glucosidases and lipase, interference of cellular recognition and signal transduction, and disruption of cell wall biosynthesis. Accordingly, a handful of bioactive oligosaccharides have been developed for the treatment of bacterial infections and type II diabetes mellitus. Given that naturally occurring oligosaccharides have increasingly gained recognition in recent years, a comprehensive review is needed. The current review highlights the chemical structures, biological activities and divergent biosynthetic origins of three subgroups of oligomers including the acarviosine-containing oligosaccharides, saccharomicins, and orthosomycins.

Xylan is the major hemicellulose present in sugarcane stem secondary cell walls. Xylan is composed of xylose backbone with a high degree of substitutions, which affects its properties. In the present study, the xylan from sugarcane tops (SCT) was extracted and characterized. Compositional analysis of xylan extracted from SCT (SCTx) displayed the presence of 74% of d-xylose residues, 16% of d-glucuronic acid residues and 10% of l-arabinose. High performance size exclusion chromatographic analysis of SCTx displayed a single peak corresponding to a molecular mass of ∼57 kDa. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of SCTx displayed the peaks corresponding to those obtained from commercial xylan. FESEM analysis of SCTx showed the granular and porous surface structure. Differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) of SCTx displayed two thermal degradation temperatures (T d ) of 228°C, due to breakdown of the side chains of glucuronic acid and arabinose and 275°C, due to breakdown of xylan back bone. The presence of arabinose and glucuronic acid as a side chains was confirmed by the DTG and thermogravimetric analysis. The CHNS analysis of SCTx showed the presence of only carbon and hydrogen supporting its purity. The recombinant xylanase (CtXyn11A) from Clostridium thermocellum displayed a specific activity of 1394 ± 51 U/mg with SCTx, which was higher than those with commercial xylans. The thin layer chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy analyses of CtXyn11A hydrolysed SCTx contained a series of linear xylo-oligosaccharides ranging from degree of polymerization 2-6 and no substituted xylo-oligosaccharides because of the endolytic activity of enzyme. The extracted xylan from SCT can be used as an alternative commercial substrate and for oligo-saccharide production., (Copyright © 2021 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Azobenzenes are photochromic molecules that possess a large range of applications. Their syntheses are usually simple and fast, and their purifications can be easy to perform. Oligosaccharide is also a wide family of biopolymer constituted of linear chain of saccharides. It can be extracted from biomass, as for cellulose, being the principal constituent of plant cell wall, or it can be enzymatically produced as for cyclodextrins, having properties not far from cellulose. Combining these two materials families can afford interesting applications such as controlled drug-release systems, photochromic liquid crystals, photoresponsive films or even fluorescent indicators. This review will compile the different syntheses of azo-dyes-grafted oligosaccharides, and will show their various applications.

Grape seeds are among the main constituents of grape pomace, ranging between 20% and 30% of the wet matrix; however, their oligosaccharide composition has not been studied. This paper describes the purification and the identification of low molecular weight oligosaccharides contained in an EtOH/water extract of grape seeds. A sequential two-step purification by size exclusion chromatography was carried out to fractionate compounds according to molecular weights. Chemical characterization of the combined fractions was performed by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analyses. The separation process gave two fractions abundant in sucrose and glucose. A third fraction containing trisaccharides was acetylated allowing the purification of the main trisaccharide. The structure elucidation of the acetylated product made it possible to identify gentianose, a predominant carbohydrate reserve found in the storage roots of perennial Gentiana lutea. Grape seeds are wine industry by-products and the obtained results suggest the importance of their recovery., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Oligosaccharides are one of the most important components in mammalian milk. Milk oligosaccharides can promote colonization of gut microbiota and protect newborns from infections. The diversity and structures of MOs differ among mammalian species. MOs in human and farm animals have been well-documented. However, the knowledge on MOs in rat and mouse have been very limited even though they are the most-widely used models for studies of human physiology and disease. Herein, we use a high-sensitivity online solid-phase extraction and HILIC coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the acidic MOs in rat and mouse. Among the fifteen MOs identified, twelve were reported for the first time in rat and mouse together with two novel sulphated oligosaccharides. The complete list of acidic oligosaccharides present in rat and mouse milk is the baseline information of these animals and should contribute to biological/biomedical studies using rats and mice as models., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Plant biomass constitutes the main source of renewable carbon on the planet. Its valorization has traditionally been focused on the use of cellulose, although hemicellulose is the second most abundant group of polysaccharides on Earth. The main enzymes involved in plant biomass degradation are glycosyl hydrolases, and filamentous fungi are good producers of these enzymes. In this study, a new strain of Aspergillus niger was used for hemicellulase production under solid-state fermentation using wheat straw as single-carbon source. Physicochemical parameters for the production of an endoxylanase were optimized by using a One-Factor-at-a-Time (OFAT) approach and response surface methodology (RSM). Maximum xylanase yield after RSM optimization was increased 3-fold, and 1.41- fold purification was achieved after ultrafiltration and ion-exchange chromatography, with about 6.2% yield. The highest activity of the purified xylanase was observed at 50 °C and pH 6. The enzyme displayed high thermal and pH stability, with more than 90% residual activity between pH 3.0-9.0 and between 30-40 °C, after 24 h of incubation, with half-lives of 30 min at 50 and 60 °C. The enzyme was mostly active against wheat arabinoxylan, and its kinetic parameters were analyzed ( K m = 26.06 mg·mL -1 and V max = 5.647 U·mg -1 ). Wheat straw xylan hydrolysis with the purified β-1,4 endoxylanase showed that it was able to release xylooligosaccharides, making it suitable for different applications in food technology.

Simple protocols for attaching and detaching carbobenzyloxy (Cbz) groups at the reducing end of sugars was developed. Briefly, lactose was converted into its glycosylamine, which was then acylated with carbobenzyloxy chloride in high overall yield. The obtained lactose Cbz derivative was used in sequential glycosylations using glycosyltransferases and nucleotide sugars in aqueous buffers. Isolation of the reaction products after each step was by simple C-18 solid-phase extraction. The Cbz group was removed by catalytic hydrogenolysis or catalytic transfer hydrogenation followed by in situ glycosylamine hydrolysis. In this way, a trisaccharide (GlcNAc-lactose), a human milk tetrasaccharide (LNnT), and a human milk pentasaccharide (LNFPIII) were prepared in a simple and efficient way., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Ulva sp. is known to be a source of bioactive compounds such as ulvans, but their biological activity on human dermal fibroblast extracellular matrix (ECM) is poorly reported. In this work, the regulation of ECM has been investigated for the first time at both proteomic and transcriptomic levels in normal human skin dermal fibroblasts, after 48 h of incubation with poly- and oligosaccharide fractions from Ulva sp. obtained after enzyme-assisted extraction and depolymerization. Cell proliferation enhancement (up to +68%) without exhibiting any cytotoxic effect on fibroblasts was demonstrated at 50 and 1000 µg/mL by both fractions. At the proteomic level, polysaccharide fractions at 1000 µg/mL enhanced the most the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs, up to +57%), total collagen, especially types I (up to +217%) and III, as well as the synthesis and activity of MMP-1 (Matrix Metalloproteinase-1, up to +309%). In contrast, oligosaccharide fractions had no effect on GAGs synthesis but exhibited similarities for collagens and MMP-1 regulation. At the transcriptomic level, the decrease of COL1A1 and COL1A2 expression, and increase of COL3A1 and MMP-1 expression, confirmed the modulation of ECM metabolism by both fractions. Our research emphasizes that poly- and oligosaccharide Ulva sp. fractions exhibit interesting biological activities and supports their potential use in the area of skin renewal for anti-aging dermo-cosmetic applications.

Fructooligosaccharide was isolated from Polygonatum Cyrtonema Hua (PFOS) for the first time. Structure characterized using FT-IR, MALDI-TOF-MS, NMR, AFM, and TEM, indicated that PFOS was graminan-type fructan with a degree of polymerization ranging from 5 to 10. A murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced peritonitis was used to evaluate the in vivo anti-inflammatory and lung protective efficacy of PFOS. The result shown that pretreatment with PFOS (1.0 mg/mL) in peritonitis-induced mice could significantly inhibit the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) in serum (P < 0.001), increase mice survival rate from 12.5 % to 54 % (P < 0.05), and alleviated lung injury through ameliorating the damage of the pulmonary cellular architecture and reducing inflammatory monocyte accumulation in lung tissue. This effect of oligosaccharides could explain the traditional usage of P. cyrtonema as a tonic medicine for respiratory problems and it could be used as a potential natural ingredient with anti-inflammatory activity., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Carbohydrate purification remains problematic due to the intrinsic diversity of structural isomers present in nature. Although liquid chromatography-based techniques are suitable for analyzing or preparing most glycan structures acquired either from natural sources or through chemical or enzymatic synthesis, the separation of regioisomers or linkage isomers with a clear resolution remains challenging. Herein, a carbon dioxide supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) method was devised to resolve 18 human milk glycosides: oligomers (disaccharides to hexasaccharides), fucosylated regioisomers (lacto-N-fucopentaose I, III, and V; lacto-N-neofucopentaose V; lacto-N-difucohexaose III; blood group H 1 antigen; and TF-LNnT), and connectivity isomers (lacto-N-tetraose/lacto-N-neotetraose and para-lacto-N-hexaose/para-lacto-N-neohexaose/type-1 hexasaccharide). The analysis of these glycosides represents a major limitation associated with conventional carbohydrate analysis. The unprecedented resolution achieved by the SFC method indicates the suitability of this key technology for revealing complex human milk glycomes., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The aim of this work was to develop a comprehensive workflow to elucidate molecular features of artichoke pectic oligosaccharides (POS) contributing to high potential prebiotic activity. First, obtainment of artichoke POS by Pectinex® Ultra-Olio was optimised using an artificial neural network. Under optimal conditions (pH 6.86; 1.5 h; enzyme dose 520.5 U/g pectin) POS yield was 624 mg/g pectin. Oligosaccharide structures (M w < 1.3 kDa) were characterised by MALDI-TOF-MS. Then, conformational analysis of glycosidic bonds was performed by replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations and interaction mechanisms between POS and several microbial glycosidases were proposed by molecular modelling. Chemical information was integrated in virtual simulations of colonic fermentation. Highest hydrolysis rate was obtained for GalA-Rha-GalA trisaccharide, while the presence of partial negative charges and high radius of gyration enhance short chain fatty acid formation in distal colon. Established structure-activity relationships could help the rational design of prebiotics and clinical trials., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Bacterial pathogens expose on the cell surface a variety of complex carbohydrate molecules. Gram-negative bacteria produce lipopolysaccharides, which are the main components of the outer membrane of bacterial envelopes and play a major role in host-pathogen interactions. B. pertussis , B. parapertussis , B. bronchiseptica, and B. holmesii , are mammalian respiratory pathogens, having substantial economic impact on human health and agriculture. B. pertussis is responsible for whooping cough (pertussis) and B. holmesii is the second pertussis etiological factor, but the current anti-pertussis vaccines do not provide cross-protection. The structural data on any given hypothetical carbohydrate antigen is a prerequisite for further analysis of structure-related activities and their interaction with hosts. 1 H NMR spectra constitute fingerprints of the analyzed glycans and provide unique identity information. The concept of structure-reporter groups has now been augmented by 1 H, 13 C-correlation spectra of the Bordetella oligosaccharides. The comparative analysis of Bordetellae oligosaccharides (OS) revealed that the hexasaccharide, comprising the α-Glc p N, α-Glc p A, 4,6-disubstituted-β-Glc p , 2,7-disubstituted-l-α-d-Hep p , 3,4-disubstituted-l-α-d-Hep p, and Kdo, constitute the least variable OS segment. This minimal common element in the structure of lipopolysaccharides of Bordetellae could be used to devise a universal cross-protective vaccine component against infections with various bacteria from the genus Bordetella .

Most of traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) substances come from medicinal plants, among which oligosaccharides have gradually attracted widespread attention at home and abroad due to their important biological activities and great medicinal potential. Numerous in vitro and in vivo experiments exhibited that oligosaccharides possess various activities, such as antitumor, anti-oxidation, modulate the gut microflora, anti-inflammatory, anti-infection, and immune-regulatory activities. Generally, biological activities are closely related to chemical structures, including molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, glycosidic bond connection, etc. The structural analysis of oligosaccharides is an important basis for studying their structure-activity relationship, but the structural diversity and complexity of carbohydrate compounds limit the study of oligosaccharides activities. Understanding the structures and biological functions of oligosaccharides is important for the development of new bioactive substances with natural oligosaccharides. This review provides a systematic introduction of the current knowledge of the chemical structures and biological activities of oligosaccharides. Most importantly, the reported chemical characteristics and biological activities of the famous TCHM oligosaccharides were briefly summarized, including Morinda officinalis , Rehmannia glutinosa , Arctium lappa , Polygala tenuifolia , Panax ginseng , Lycium barbarum and Astragalus membranaceus . TCHM oligosaccharides play an important role in nutrition, health care, disease diagnosis and prevention as well as have broad application prospects in the field of medicine.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS), produced from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB), are short-chain polymers with prebiotic activity which, in the last few decades, have gained commercial interest due to their potential application as ingredients for the nutraceutical industry. This article reviews relevant topics to consider when researching XOS productive processes, such as the selection of raw materials and strategies for XOS production, purification, characterisation, quantification and evaluation of the prebiotic effects. With regard to the production approach, this article focuses on LCB pre-treatments and the enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan, exploring the reported alternatives and enzymes. A critical view on the current process reveals that comparative analysis between different studies is difficult due to the lack of consensus on the criteria and parameters used in the evaluation of XOS production processes. However, the most generally recommended XOS production strategy is the two-stage approach through alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis with further purification through membrane filtration., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Commercial production of inulooligosaccharides (IOS) relies largely on chicory roots. However, Jerusalem artichoke (JA) tubers provide a suitable alternative due to their high inulin content and low cultivation requirements. In this study, three inulin-rich substrate preparations from JA were investigated to maximize IOS production, namely powder from dried JA tuber slices (Substrate 1), solid residues after extracting protein from the JA powder (Substrate 2) and an inulin-rich fraction extracted from protein extraction residues (Substrate 3). The preferred temperature, pH and inulin substrate concentration were determined after which enzyme dosage and extraction time were optimized to maximize IOS extraction from the three substrates, using pure chicory inulin as benchmark. Under the optimal conditions, Substrate 3 resulted in the highest IOS yield of 82.3% ( w/w inulin ). However, IOS production from the Substrate 1 proved more efficient since it renders the highest overall IOS yield (mass of IOS per mass of the starting biomass). In the case of co-production of protein and IOS from the JA tuber in a biorefinery concept, IOS production from the Substrate 2 is preferred since it reduces the inulin losses incurred during substrate preparation. For all the inulin-rich substrates studied, an enzyme dosage of 14.8 U/g inulin was found to be optimal at reaction time less than 6 h. JA tuber exhibited excellent potential for commercial production of IOS with improved yield and the possible advantage of a reduced biomass cost.

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a gram-negative bacterium, part of the normal human microflora. It is associated with various health complications, including periodontitis and colorectal cancer. Its surface is covered with lipopolysaccharide, which interacts with the immune system and can be involved in various processes in health and disease conditions. Here we present the results of structural analysis of core oligosaccharides from the lipopolysaccharides of several strains of F. nucleatum. Pure compounds were isolated using mild acid hydrolysis or alkaline deacylation of the lipopolysaccharides and analyzed by NMR spectroscopy, mass-spectrometry and chemical methods. All cores analyzed had a common octasaccharide region, including five heptose residues and a non-phosphorylated 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid residue. The common region is substituted with different additional components specific for each strain. By structure type the F. nucleatum core is similar to that produced by Aeromonas., (Crown Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Human milk is a complex, dynamically changing biological fluid, which contains a large amount of non-conjugated carbohydrates, referred to as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). These HMOs are very important for the infants as they play important roles in the formation of the gut microbiome, the immune system and support brain development. HMOs show highly complex structural diversity due to numerous linkage possibilities of the building monosaccharides. In order to elucidate their structure-function relationship and to develop more effective infant formulas, cutting-edge analytical technologies are in great demand. In this paper, we review the current strategies for HMO analysis based on liquid phase separation methods. High performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and their hyphenation with mass spectrometry are critically reviewed, emphasizing their advantages and disadvantages from practical point of views. Recent advances of the methods are categorized according to their application fields., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Human milk is the optimal nutrition source for infants, and oligosaccharides represent the third most abundant component in milk after lactose and fat. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) are favorable macromolecules which are, interestingly, indigestible by the infant but serve as substrates for bacteria. Hypothesizing that the maternal diet itself might influence HMO composition, we sought to directly determine the effect maternal diet on HMO and the milk bacteria. Employing a human cross-over study design, we demonstrate that distinct maternal dietary carbohydrate and energy sources preferentially alter milk concentrations of HMO, including fucosylated species. We find significant associations between the concentration of HMO-bound fucose and the abundance of fucosidase (a bacterial gene that digests fucose moieties) harbored by milk bacteria. These studies reveal a successive mechanism by which the maternal diet during lactation alters milk HMO composition, which in turn shapes the functional milk microbiome prior to infant ingestion.

A 91 kDa heteropolysaccharide (F2) was isolated from Mangifera indica fruit via extraction with H 2 O, purification by C 2 H 5 OH, starch removal and ion exchange chromatography. This polymer was made up mostly of Ara, Gal, Glc, Rha, Xyl, and GalA in a 37: 29: 9:3:2:19 molar proportion. It inherited a small backbone containing GalpA and Rhap units substituted with very large side chains containing differently linked Ara and Gal units plus esterified gallic acid (GA) residue. Several enzymes generated oligosaccharides including (i) Ara 2-10 Ac 6 - 22 , (ii) Gal 1-8 Ac 5 - 26 and (iii) GA 1 Gal 1 Ac 7 were characterized. This polysaccharide, which showed dose dependent antioxidant activity, exhibited synergism with gallic acid, and formed a complex (K = 1.2 × 10 6  M -1 ) with β-lactoglobulin. Accordingly, H 2 O treatment produces a polysaccharide with desired biochemical properties; this could be effective in designing innovative functional food with flexible makeup., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, core-shell mesoporous silica-carbon composite microspheres (Sil@MC) were prepared by one-step coating of the phenol formaldehyde polymer (PF) on SiO 2 surface and by carbonizing the PF polymer under nitrogen atmosphere. The morphology observation of the Sil@MC stationary phase showed that it had good monodispersity. Surface area (302 m 2 /g), mean pore diameter (9.5 nm), and pore volume (0.63 cm 3 /g) of Sil@MC materials were also measured by pore structure analysis. The results showed that the Sil@MC was successfully immobilized on the silica particles via copolymerization and carbonization. As a stationary phase of HPLC, the Sil@MC column was filled by a slurry method. The Sil@MC materials formed after calcination of SiO 2 coated with phenolic resin could be used for the separation of four polar sugar compounds (D-(+)-glucosamine hydrochloride, glucose, D-(+)-trehalose dihydrat and raffinose) with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid). However, the material formed by calcinating SiO 2 without coating phenolic resin could not separate these polar sugar compounds by HPLC-MS. Finally, the representative oligosaccharide isomers of raffinose, melezitose and stachyose, nystose, and human milk oligosaccharide isomers, such as 3'-sialyllactose, 6'-sialyllactose and lacto- N -newtetraose, lacto- N -tetraose, were successfully separated by the Sil@MC column with good peak shapes. The results demonstrates that silica-carbon composites derived from phenolic resin have potential application in polar compounds chromatographic separation.

Three new acylated aminooligosaccharide ( 1 - 3 ), along with five known congeners ( 4 - 8 ), were isolated from the marine-derived Streptomyces sp. HO1518. Their structures were fully elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, mainly based on 1D-selective and 2D TOCSY, HSQC-TOCSY, and HRESIMS spectrometry measurements, and by chemical transformations. All of the compounds were evaluated for their α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities. Among the isolates, D 6- O -isobutyryl-acarviostatin II03 ( 3 ) and D 6- O -acetyl-acarviostatin II03 ( 8 ), sharing acarviostatin II03-type structure, showed the most potent α-glucosidase and lipase inhibitory effects, far stronger than the antidiabetic acarbose towards α-glucosidase and almost equal to the anti-obesity orlistat towards lipase in vitro. This is the first report on inhibitory activities against the two major digestive enzymes for acylated aminooligosaccharides. The results from our investigation highlight the potential of acylated aminooligosaccharides for the future development of multi-target anti-diabetic drug.

Xylan extracted from neem sawdust gave 22.5%, (w/w) yield. The extracted xylan was composed of xylose and glucuronic acid at a molar ratio of 8:1 and with a molecular mass, ~66 kDa. FTIR and NMR analyses indicated a backbone of xylan substituted with 4-O-methyl glucuronic acid at the O-2 position. FESEM analysis showed a highly porous and granular surface structure of xylan. A thermogravimetric study of xylan showed thermal denaturation at 271 °C. The hydrolysis of xylan by recombinant endo-β-1,4-xylanase produced a mixture of xylooligosaccharides ranging from degree of polymerization 2-7. Xylooligosaccharides inhibited cell growth of human colorectal cancer (HT-29) cells but did not affect the mouse fibroblast cells confirming its biocompatibility. Western blotting, DNA laddering and flow cytometric analysis displayed inhibition of HT-29 cells by xylooligosaccharides. FLICA staining and mitochondrial membrane potential analyses confirmed the activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. The study amply indicated that the xylooligosaccharides produced from neem xylan could be potentially used as an antiproliferative agent., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors do not have a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

During the past decade, detailed studies using well-defined 'second generation' chitosans have amply proved that both their material properties and their biological activities are dependent on their molecular structure, in particular on their degree of polymerisation (DP) and their fraction of acetylation ( F A ). Recent evidence suggests that the pattern of acetylation (PA), i.e., the sequence of acetylated and non-acetylated residues along the linear polymer, is equally important, but chitosan polymers with defined, non-random PA are not yet available. One way in which the PA will influence the bioactivities of chitosan polymers is their enzymatic degradation by sequence-dependent chitosan hydrolases present in the target tissues. The PA of the polymer substrates in conjunction with the subsite preferences of the hydrolases determine the type of oligomeric products and the kinetics of their production and further degradation. Thus, the bioactivities of chitosan polymers will at least in part be carried by the chitosan oligomers produced from them, possibly through their interaction with pattern recognition receptors in target cells. In contrast to polymers, partially acetylated chitosan oligosaccharides (paCOS) can be fully characterised concerning their DP, F A , and PA, and chitin deacetylases (CDAs) with different and known regio-selectivities are currently emerging as efficient tools to produce fully defined paCOS in quantities sufficient to probe their bioactivities. In this review, we describe the current state of the art on how CDAs can be used in forward and reverse mode to produce all of the possible paCOS dimers, trimers, and tetramers, most of the pentamers and many of the hexamers. In addition, we describe the biotechnological production of the required fully acetylated and fully deacetylated oligomer substrates, as well as the purification and characterisation of the paCOS products., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Polysaccharides extracted from marine algae have attracted much attention due to their biotechnological applications, including therapeutics, cosmetics, and mainly in agriculture and horticulture as biostimulants, biofertilizers, and stimulators of the natural defenses of plants. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of alginate isolated from Bifurcaria bifurcata from the Moroccan coast and oligoalginates derivatives to stimulate the natural defenses of tomato seedlings. Elicitation was carried out by the internodal injection of bioelicitor solutions. The elicitor capacities were evaluated by monitoring the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) as well as polyphenols content in the leaves located above the elicitation site for 5 days. Alginate and oligoalginates treatments triggered plant defense responses, which showed their capacity to significantly induce the PAL activity and phenolic compounds accumulation in the leaves of tomato seedlings. Elicitation by alginates and oligoalginates showed an intensive induction of PAL activity, increasing from 12 h of treatment and remaining at high levels throughout the period of treatment. The amount of polyphenols in the leaves was increased rapidly and strongly from 12 h of elicitation by both saccharide solutions, representing peaks value after 24 h of application. Oligoalginates exhibited an effective elicitor capacity in polyphenols accumulation compared to alginate polymers. The alginate and oligosaccharides derivatives revealed a similar elicitor capacity in PAL activity whereas the accumulation of phenolic compounds showed a differential effect. Polysaccharides extracted from the brown seaweed Bifurcaria bifurcate and oligosaccharides derivatives induced significantly the phenylpropanoid metabolism in tomato seedlings. These results contribute to the valorization of marine biomass as a potential bioresource for plant protection against phytopathogens in the context of eco-sustainable green technology.

The root of plant Polygala arillata has been used in the Oriental medicine as a tonic and for the treatment of certain diseases. Our current research on phytochemical profile of the roots of P. arillata led to the isolation of a new oligosaccharide ester ( 1 , polygaloside), a new glucose ester ( 7 , arillatoside), along with five known sucrose esters ( 2 - 6 ). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive chemical and spectroscopic methods as well as comparison with those reported in the literature. The occurence of various oligosaccharide esters in P. arillata including unique compounds plays taxonomical impact and suggests potential in medicinal uses of the title plant.

Plesiomonas shigelloides is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium which causes foodborne intestinal infections, including gastroenteritis. It is one of the most frequent causes of travellers' diarrhoea. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin), an important virulence factor of the species, is in most cases characterised by a smooth character, demonstrated by the presence of all regions, such as lipid A, core oligosaccharide, and O-specific polysaccharide, where the latter part determines O-serotype. P. shigelloides LPS is still a poorly characterised virulence factor considering a "translation" of the particular O-serotype into chemical structure. To date, LPS structure has only been elucidated for 15 strains out of 102 O-serotypes. Structures of the new O-specific polysaccharide and core oligosaccharide of P. shigelloides from the Czechoslovak National Collection of Type Cultures CNCTC 90/89 LPS (O22), investigated by chemical analysis, mass spectrometry, and 1 H, 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, have now been reported. The pentasaccharide repeating unit of the O-specific polysaccharide is built of one d-Qui p NAc and is rich in four d-Gal p NAcAN residues. Moreover, the new core oligosaccharide shares common features of other P. shigelloides endotoxins, i.e., the lack of phosphate groups and the presence of uronic acids.