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. 2017 Feb 28;26(1):55–62. doi: 10.1007/s10068-017-0008-3

Comparison of structural features and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from natural and cultured Cordyceps sinensis

Junqiao Wang 1, Shaoping Nie 1,✉, Lijiao Kan 1, Haihong Chen 1, Steve W Cui 1,2, Aled O Phillips 3, Glyn O Phillips 4, Mingyong Xie 1
PMCID: PMC6049471  PMID: 30263510

Abstract

Four polysaccharides (named as P1, P2, and P3 from three natural Cordyceps sinensis and P4 from cultured C. sinensis) were obtained by hot-water extraction and ethanol precipitation and their structural characteristics as well as antioxidant potentials were compared. Results revealed that the backbone of P1, P2, and P3 comprised α-1,4-glucose, with a branching point mainly at position 6 and terminating at glucose. On the other hand, the structure of P4 was highly complex, mainly comprising glucose, galactose, and mannose, with 1,4-glucose and 1,4-galactose as the main chain. For in vitro antioxidant assays, all the four polysaccharides showed similar scavenging capacity against DPPH and hydroxyl radicals, whereas P1 had a relatively low ferric reducing ability, possibly related to a combination of factors such as the phenolic compounds and amino acids that conjugated in polysaccharides.

Keywords: natural/cultured Cordyceps sinensis, polysaccharide, structure, antioxidant

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