AUTHOR=Xu Mengran , Ren Jing , Jiang Ziye , Zhou Shuo , Wang Enpeng , Li Hui , Wu Wei , Zhang Xiaoyu , Wang Jing , Jiao Lili 

TITLE=Structural characterization and immunostimulant activities of polysaccharides fractionated by gradient ethanol precipitation method from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1388206

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2024.1388206

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Panax ginseng</italic> C. A. Meyer is a dual-purpose plant for medicine and food, its polysaccharide is considered as an immune enhancer. Four polysaccharides, WGP-20-F, WGP-40-F, WGP-60-F and WGP-80-F were obtained from ginseng via water extraction and gradient ethanol precipitation with different molecular weights (<italic>Mw</italic>) of 1.720 × 10<sup>6</sup>, 1.434 × 10<sup>6</sup>, 4.225 × 10<sup>4</sup> and 1.520 × 10<sup>4</sup> Da, respectively. WGP-20-F and WGP-40-F which with higher <italic>Mw</italic> and a triple-helix structure are glucans composed of 4-ɑ-Glc<italic>p</italic>, do not show remarkable immunoregulatory effects. WGP-60-F and WGP-80-F are heteropolysaccharides mainly composed of 4-ɑ-Glc<italic>p</italic> and also contain t-ɑ-Ara<italic>f</italic>, 5-ɑ-Ara<italic>f</italic> and 3,5-ɑ-Ara<italic>f</italic>. They are spherical branched conformations without a triple-helix structure and can effectively increase the index of immune organs, lymphocyte proliferation, activate macrophages to regulate the immune system in mice and further enhance immune functions by improving delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction and antibody response. These results indicated that WGP-60-F and WGP-80-F could be used as potential immune enhancers, and gradient ethanol precipitation can be applied for the preparation of ginseng bioactive polysaccharide.</p>