Structural characterization and in vitro antitumor activity of a novel polysaccharide from Taxus yunnanensis

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2013-07, Vol.96 (2), p.389-395
• Main Authors: Yan, Chunyan, Yin, Yin, Zhang, Dawei, Yang, Wei, Yu, Rongmin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - pharmacology; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Carbohydrate Conformation; Carbohydrate Sequence; Cell Survival - drug effects; Chemotherapy; Exact sciences and technology; HPAEC-PAD analysis; Humans; In vitro antitumor activity; K562 Cells; MCF-7 Cells; Medical sciences; Natural polymers; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polysaccharide; Polysaccharides - chemistry; Polysaccharides - pharmacology; Starch and polysaccharides; Structure; Taxus; Taxus - chemistry; Taxus yunnanensis
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.04.012

•A novel water-soluble heteropolysaccharide (TMP70W) was isolated from Taxus yunnanensis.•Structural features of TMP70W were elucidated by physical-chemical properties and spectral elucidation.•TMP70W displayed mild cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner. The shrub, Taxus yunnanensis is famed as the source of the important anticancer drug, paclitaxel. But research on its polysaccharides contents has been scarce. The present research aimed to investigate the polysaccharide content of T. yunnanensis leaves and study the antitumor activities of isolated polysaccharide(s) using human tumor cells (K-562 and MCF). A novel heteropolysaccharide (TMP70W) was isolated and purified by anion-exchange and gel-permeation chromatography. Its molecular weight was 36.94kDa and structural features were elucidated by partial acid hydrolysis, periodate oxidation–Smith degradation, methylation analysis, GC–MS, HPAEC-PAD, FT-IR, and NMR. The repeating unit of TMP70W had a backbone composed of (1→5)-linked-α-l-Araf, (1→2,5)–linked-α-l-Araf, and (1→6)–linked-β-d-Galp with a branch of α-d-Glcp-(1→2)-α-d-Galp-(1→ at the position of C-2 of arabinose. TMP70W displayed mild cytotoxicity against K562 cells with the IC50 value of 39.63±2.37μg/mL and inhibitory activity against MCF-7 cells (32.08±0.39% at the concentration of 400μg/mL) in a concentration-dependent manner.