Characterization, Antioxidant, Anti-Aging and Organ Protective Effects of Sulfated Polysaccharides from <i>Flammulina velutipes</i>

• Main Authors: Fangfang Yuan, Zheng Gao, Wenbo Liu, Huaping Li, Yiwen Zhang, Yanbo Feng, Xinling Song, Wenshuai Wang, Jianjun Zhang, Chunyan Huang, Le Jia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: sulfated polysaccharides; <i>flammulina velutipes</i>; antioxidation; anti-aging effects; organ protection
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/19/3517

As an irreversible and complex degenerative physiological process, the treatment for aging seems strategically necessary, and polysaccharides play important roles against aging owing to their abundant bioactivities. In this paper, the antioxidant and anti-aging activities of <i>Flammulina velutipes</i> polysaccharides (FPS) and its sulfated FPS (SFPS) on d-galactose-induced aging mice were investigated. The in vitro antioxidant activities demonstrated that SFPS had strong reducing power and superior scavenging effects on 2, 2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl radicals and the chelating activities of Fe²⁺. The in vivo animal experiments manifested that the SFPS showed superior antioxidant and protective abilities against the d-galactose-induced aging by increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities, decreasing lipid peroxidation, improving the inflammatory response and ameliorating the anile condition of mice. Furthermore, the structural analysis of SFPS was investigated through FT-IR, NMR, and HPLC analysis, and the results indicated that SFPS was a homogeneous heteropolysaccharide with a weight-average molecular weight of 2.81 &#215; 10³ Da. Furthermore, SFPS has also changed in characteristic functional groups and monosaccharide composition compared to FPS. These results suggested that sulfated modification could enhance the anti-oxidation, anti-aging and protective activities of <i>F. velutipes</i> polysaccharides, which may provide references for the development of functional foods and natural medicines.