Fractionation, Structural Characterization and In Vitro α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities of Polysaccharides Derived from Lycium barbarum L.
- 1National Wolfberry Engineering Research Center, Wolfberry Science Research Institute, Ningxia Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan 750002, China
- 2School of Pharmacy, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China
Abstract
Polysaccharides have attracted extensive attention due to their pharmacological activities, such as regulating depression, antitumor, hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering effects, and regulating intestinal flora. In this study, four crude polysaccharide fractions, designated LICP007, LICP008, LICP009 and LICP010, were prepared from Lycium barbarum L. Based on the in vitro α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory assays, LICP007, which showed the strongest activity among the four crude polysaccharides (inhibition rates of 61.42 ± 0.29% against α-amylase and 40.69 ± 0.35% against α-glucosidase at 50 mg/mL), was selected for further separation and purification, and one neutral polysaccharide (LICP007-N1) and two acidic polysaccharides (LICP007-S2 and LICP007-S5) were obtained by DEAE-52 cellulose anion-exchange and Sephadex G-200 gel permeation chromatography. Among them, LICP007-S5 showed the best inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, with inhibition rates of 98.38% and 43.45% at 20 mg/mL, respectively. Physicochemical characterization showed that LICP007-S5 differed markedly from LICP007-N1 and LICP007-S2 in molecular weight distribution, monosaccharide composition and morphology. Structural analysis indicated that LICP007-S5 is an acidic heteropolysaccharide rich in galacturonic acid (27.5 mol%); atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Congo red test results suggest that it may adopt an ordered, possibly triple-helical conformation, although this requires further verification. These findings provide comparative information on the structure and biological activity of different Lycium barbarum polysaccharides and highlight their potential as natural α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors for the dietary management of type 2 diabetes in functional foods.
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BibTeX
@article{zhou2026fractionation,
title = {{Fractionation, Structural Characterization and In Vitro α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities of Polysaccharides Derived from Lycium barbarum L.}},
author = {Xuan Zhou and Yanyan Liu and Ting Huang and Linyuan Duan and Yuekun Li},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31213839},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3839},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fractionation, Structural Characterization and In Vitro α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities of Polysaccharides Derived from Lycium barbarum L.
AU - Xuan Zhou
AU - Yanyan Liu
AU - Ting Huang
AU - Linyuan Duan
AU - Yuekun Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31213839
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3839
AB - Polysaccharides have attracted extensive attention due to their pharmacological activities, such as regulating depression, antitumor, hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering effects, and regulating intestinal flora. In this study, four crude polysaccharide fractions, designated LICP007, LICP008, LICP009 and LICP010, were prepared from Lycium barbarum L. Based on the in vitro α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory assays, LICP007, which showed the strongest activity among the four crude polysaccharides (inhibition rates of 61.42 ± 0.29% against α-amylase and 40.69 ± 0.35% against α-glucosidase at 50 mg/mL), was selected for further separation and purification, and one neutral polysaccharide (LICP007-N1) and two acidic polysaccharides (LICP007-S2 and LICP007-S5) were obtained by DEAE-52 cellulose anion-exchange and Sephadex G-200 gel permeation chromatography. Among them, LICP007-S5 showed the best inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, with inhibition rates of 98.38% and 43.45% at 20 mg/mL, respectively. Physicochemical characterization showed that LICP007-S5 differed markedly from LICP007-N1 and LICP007-S2 in molecular weight distribution, monosaccharide composition and morphology. Structural analysis indicated that LICP007-S5 is an acidic heteropolysaccharide rich in galacturonic acid (27.5 mol%); atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Congo red test results suggest that it may adopt an ordered, possibly triple-helical conformation, although this requires further verification. These findings provide comparative information on the structure and biological activity of different Lycium barbarum polysaccharides and highlight their potential as natural α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors for the dietary management of type 2 diabetes in functional foods.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -