Guo, H., Du, Y., Gao, H., Liao, Y., Liu, H., Wu, D., Gan, R., & Gao, H. (2024). Isolation, purification, degradation of citrus pectin and correlation between molecular weight and their biological properties. LWT, 196, 115837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.115837
Abstract:
Citrus pectin (CP) and two pectins with distinct molecular weights (CP-1 and CP-2) were prepared using ultrasound-assisted H2O2/ascorbic acid reaction, and their structural, anticancer, and immunostimulatory properties were investigated. Based on the methylation and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, the structure of CP-2 was determined to be composed of an α-1,4-linked homogalacturonan backbone that exhibited high levels of O-6 methylation. In addition, both CP-1 and CP-2 induced apoptosis in various cancer cell lines, while CP exhibited minimal impact. All tested CPs activated RAW264.7 cells, promoting the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 by upregulating the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and inducible NO synthase genes. Among them, CP-2 exhibited the highest immunostimulatory activity closely linked with its molecular weight. Furthermore, we found that CP-2 could activate RAW264.7 macrophages through NOD-like receptor (NLR) signaling pathways involving nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. In summary, the results of this investigation will enhance the comprehension of the structure-function correlation of CP, furthering its application within the functional food industry.
License type:
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Funding Info:
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32072321), Sichuan University and Luzhou City Strategic Cooperation Project (2019CDLZ-20), Key Scientific Research Fund Project of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (No. 2023YFN0011), Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (no. S2023006), Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP-IUA-2023003), and Liangshan Prefecture Technology Plan in 2021 (21ZDYF0052)