Structural characterization and antioxidant activity of a low-molecular polysaccharide from Dendrobium huoshanense

The present study aimed at investigating the structural features and antioxidant activities of a polysaccharide fraction (DHP1A) obtained from Dendrobium huoshanense, a precious herb medicine in China. DHP1A mainly consisted of mannose (Man), glucose (Glc) and a trace of galactose (Gal), with a molecular weight of 6700 Da. Its backbone contained (1 → 4)-linked α-D-Glcp, (1 → 6)-linked α-D-Glcp and (1 → 4)-linked β-D-Manp, with a branch of terminal β-D-Galp. The in vitro antioxidant evaluation revealed that DHP1A had a remarkable inhibition effect on the FeCl2-induced lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, DHP1A pretreatment decreased the production of malondialdehyde (MDA), and restored the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), as well as the level of glutathione (GSH) in the livers of CCl4-treated mice. These results suggested that DHP1A was a potential antioxidant component in D. huoshanense.